a-krishna

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My High School Years

My life has been the biggest roller coaster ride. Loops, turns, uphill battles, and downhill fun; it truly has been an experience. I was born in India, but I moved when I was one month old. I moved to Plano, Texas for three years and then to Cary, North Carolina where I have resided ever since. My elementary school experience was at Morrisville Elementary School and my middle school experience was at Davis Drive Middle School. These years essentially passed by with little remembrance and reflection. However, it was high school that really changed who I was. My freshman year was interesting. I grew more than a foot from eighth grade and I started to build muscle over all my baby fat. I also met some of the people who I continue to be friends with to this day like Morgan, Ryan, Scott, Kevin, and Carter. At this point in my life, I joined the Green Hope Varsity Swim Team and continued swimming on the YMCA of the Triangle Area Year-round Swim Team. Due to my extra-curricular craze, I joined several clubs, which I eventually dropped to three by sophomore year. I joined Beta Club, Key Club, Science Olympiad, and DECA. I know a lot, right! My freshman year was probably one of the easier years of my life, not counting senior year thus far. I didn’t have that much stress, I enjoyed life, and I hung out with my friends. This quickly changed my sophomore year.

Because of my big head, I took 5 AP classes and attempted to do 2 swim practices a day; In the morning for an hour and a half for the Green Hope High School Swim Team and in the afternoon for 3 hours for my year-round swim team. I set expectations for myself that now I know I can’t reach, but back then I dreamt anything was achievable. That year was one of the worst years of my life. I attempted to balance AP classes, swimming, clubs, and social life. Even though my parents told me to quit some clubs and even swimming, I believed that I could finish through. I did not improve any of my times in swimming and really was frustrated. I managed to finish the year, but I was left completely broken down. It was after this year that I realized I needed to change my expectations and goals. I had to make these goals challenging but reachable. Even though this year was brutal, I ultimately learned to manage my time and be more efficient. Junior year was definitely a better year than sophomore year.

My best experience was in the Model United Nations club. This was the first time I had done this club and I did not know what to expect. Model UN is basically a debate club discussing the international issues and topics. Honestly, I fell in love with this club and truly enjoyed every moment. The best part was that I met people like Sarah, Katie, Anya, Melanie, Fariha and Ryan who I continue to be friends with to this day. Thanks to Melanie for being a great prom date, that night was a lot of fun. Swimming also became a huge part of my life. During my sophmore year, I hated going to swim practice. When you don't swim well, this sport can drive you insane. But during junior year, I moved up to a higher level group and everything changed. My teammates JT Bartel and Thomas Schmedding were incredibly supportive and my coach Nick helped improve my technique dramatically. Swim practice also became a fun experience because I did not know what to expect anyday. At swim meets, I managed to improve my times and I continue to do so. My senior year has been a time to build great friendships with awesome people such as Ryan Crossgrove, Morgan Gilmore, Jordan Tehrani, Matthew Kalberg, Matthew Alexander, Michael Alexander, Ryan Hefner, and Scott Bader. In the DECA club, I also placed first at the state level competition in Business Finance and qualified for the national competition. This has probably been my best high school year so far because I have enjoyed every moment, except for college applications.

I would also like to take the time to thank my parents for believing me and always supporting me even when I yelled and disappointed you (which I am sure I have.) Also, I want to wish my brother Jaya all the best of luck in the future. Thank you for being a pretty cool brother and once again always supporting me. I will miss you guys when I leave home for college! Speaking of college, it is hard to believe I will be going to college this fall at Union College. These last few days have been bittersweet. I am excited for college to start, but I am not excited for high school to end. I am running out of things to say so I will leave you with one of my favorite Conan O’Brien quotes. It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique.It’s not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound reinvention. Whatever you think your dream is now, it will change, and that’s okay. No matter where you end up, that’s okay.