The moment I had to leave my comfort zone this academic year came when I was transferring out of PCTI and coming to Hawthorne High School.

It was difficult for me to stretch myself. Going from a school that I have always wanted to graduate from and transferring back to the district was not easy. This was the biggest struggle of my sophomore year. The hardest thing about this was how quickly it happened. I was not able to say goodbye to any of my friends or teachers that I grew with since the start of high school. There were so many different emotions I was feeling during this time. I was sad and nervous to come to HHS. I had no reason to be, but things happen and change is inevitable. 

The first few weeks were hard, I was getting used to how the schedules work and where everything was. I was able to make friends quickly which helped the process immensely. Without my new friends I would have never been able to even enjoy school. They are the reason I was able to get out of the pit of all of my emotions. 

If I could restart the whole situation, I would have tried to come into Hawthorne High with an optimistic point-of-view. I came into this school expecting the worst to happen; but instead, it ended up being a great and rewarding experience. 

Change hit me quick. Looking back now at this past year, I realize that at times it was a struggle; but most importantly, it did make me realize that it wasn’t what I expected. People change…I had changed.

I think that this will be something that I will never forget considering all of the emotions I have felt since I transferred out of PCTI. I will look back to this era and realize that change is not as bad as I thought it would be.