Courtney+C

[|My Life at Green Hope: Animoto] My years in high school have truly made me who I am today. I began my career at Green Hope in the summer of 2005 with the marching band. Marching band got me on my feet so that I could be prepared for a whole new school life. I played the tenor saxophone in the marching band for my freshman, sophomore, and junior years. During my freshman year in marching band, I felt kind of insecure around so many upperclassmen and relied a lot on the older kids. However, I gained confidence with each passing year. My participation in marching band as a junior and an executive team member gave me new confidence. As I matured, I thought less about what others think of me and more about what I think about myself. Freshman year continued, and life at the annex ended after third period, when I went to band class at the main campus. This helped prepare me for being at the actual campus as a sophomore.

My years in high school have truly made me who I am today. I began my career at Green Hope in the summer of 2005 with the marching band. Marching band got me on my feet so that I could be prepared for a whole new school life. I played the tenor saxophone in the marching band for my freshman, sophomore, and junior years. During my freshman year in marching band, I felt kind of insecure around so many upperclassmen and relied a lot on the older kids. However, I gained confidence with each passing year. My participation in marching band as a junior and an executive team member gave me new confidence. As I matured, I thought less about what others think of me and more about what I think about myself. Freshman year continued, and life at the annex ended after third period, when I went to band class at the main campus. This helped prepare me for being at the actual campus as a sophomore. I also completed three years of track. During my freshman year I was actually quite good at the 1600 meter run, with a personal best of 6:46 in my freshman year. That time was not to be repeated in the ensuing years where I was not in shape for track. By my sophomore year, I started to branch out. I decided to take a chance at the 300 hurdles. After a few days of practicing, I got the chance to run in a race and got third. I learned that I can do what seems unlikely if I put my mind and heart into it. The summer of 2006 saw me working a job during the summer. I became a certified lifeguard, and I started to save even more money for college. I learned how to work hard, gained lifesaving information, and made some great new friends. During my sophomore year, I took the class that led me to become interested in the medical field. Honors Anatomy was one of the most demanding classes I ever took, but I scraped out an A with a lot of enthusiasm and studying. My junior year was a busy one. I was studious and hard-working, tackling APs for the first time. I learned that I am a pretty good writer, getting an A in AP English. The end of this challenging year came as a relief. Senior year also saw a lot of change. I dropped band for Art, and I dropped marching band for cross country. I did make some new friends at cross country and found that I could shave minutes off my first 5K time. I ended the season in the 25 to 24 minute area. This is where I learned the importance of endurance. Senioritis hit hard during second semester when I didn’t have calculus anymore. The bright spot of this semester was my internship with Carpenter Animal Hospital, where I learned about being a veterinarian. This internship made me realize that I do want to be a veterinarian, and that yes, I can handle surgery. I learned so much from that experience, and it is one of the best decisions I made in high school. I made lots of new friends and learned how to work and talk with adults. Along with school came some amazing vacations. I went on a Caribbean cruise, visited cousins at Lake Tahoe in California, toured BYU, and had some fun at Busch Gardens. I also made some great friends during my years at Green Hope. We had great times at prom—where I learned that you don’t have to have a date to have fun—the beach, band camp, cross country, the state fair, and just anywhere in general. Even though I will be out of the state, I want to stay in touch with all of the amazing friends I’ve made here. Senior year was capped with my acceptance to my dream school—Brigham Young University. I also received a full-tuition scholarship. High school has brought me so much—confidence in myself, the ability to endure and succeed, the tastes of both struggle and success, and knowledge in many different forms. I will look back with fondness on my high school years for making me who I am, but now is the time to look forward to college at Brigham Young University and everything I can learn there.