Annie+C

Warning: it recorded very very loudly. Turn your volume down. http://animoto.com/play/YNpAnddcdFs62L01nwRkvw

Hello there. I'm Annie, and this is a photographic summary of my high school life. I promise it's not that exciting. (pause) Most of what I do at and through school has to do with performance. I participate in choir at school, which leads me to plethora of similar activities such as operas and musicals. Additionally, I am a long-standing member of our school's drama club. I have served as student director, which is something I've discovered recently that I am very passionate about. I love directing because I am secretly a huge control freak. My favorite part of any show that I participate in is the backstage shenanigans which inevitably ensue when you shut a bunch of crazy, creative people in a room together for more than five minutes. Outside of school, I've spent a great deal of time with my church and the people there, most of whom I've known since we moved to Cary when I was two. We're very close, and I truly value some of the friendships I've developed through my church. I hope to continue most of them through my college years and beyond. (small pause) I have also been very fortunate in the friendships I've made at school. Everyone I hang out with now I met in high school, and I met most of them through chorus or theatre. My school friends are fantastic; they accept me for who I am, and I feel comfortable enough around them to act goofy (which I inevitably do) or to talk about anything that's bothering me. We've done a lot together: many, many shows, chorus trips, and just plain hanging out. I love my friends, and I think they like me too. They keep me sane by being insane. I think that's why we all get along so well. My favorite class at Green Hope, if you’re curious, was definitely APES. My favorite part was Streamwatch, especially when I got to go in the water. On my very first trip into the pond, I caught two snapping turtles. I named them Tom and Jerry. I’ve never seen them since. I also went on a field trip to Wilmington with some of my friends from Marine Ecology. We got to tour an aquarium and swim in a salt marsh. And by "swim" I actually meant "collect samples," but all we caught were snails. When I’m not at school, I have my cat, Elliott, and my dog, Kit, to keep me entertained. They were best friends from the moment they met, and I love them both dearly. The best experience of my high school life was undoubtedly Governor's School. Not only did I get a chance to participate in what might be one of the best choirs I'll ever sing in, I learned a lot about myself. Governor's School helped to broaden my mind and find a deeper appreciation for myself, others, and all of our capabilities. Governor's School gave me the tools and the mindset to become a lifelong learner, one capable of seeing others' viewpoints almost as well as her own. I also made friends that I know will last a lifetime. There weren't many circumstances shoving us together (aside from being literally trapped on a college campus for six weeks); we naturally gravitated to each other, and we love and respect each other, which I think is just awesome. It's difficult to stay in touch with these friends, since some of them live several hours away, but we're managing. We've even seen each other in person a couple of times, which helps to remind us about the people we became through Governor's School, and to get back in touch with those better selves. I already know what school I'm going to next year: Clemson University. I've visited it three times now, and I've loved it each time. I'm really excited to go to Clemson because, as cheesy as it sounds, I knew it was the Right School For Me the moment I set foot on campus. As I head into college and the rest of my life, I hope to continue to deepen the friendships I've already made, to make many more, and to continue to perform. I think high school gave me a pretty good start.