Becoming Me: My Senior High Story
Part II – The In-Between
Chapter Seven: When Everything Felt Heavy
There was a time in SHS when everything felt overwhelming.
Not just schoolwork.
Everything.
Deadlines stacked on top of each other. Performance tasks. Research papers. Group chats that never stopped buzzing. Teachers reminding us that "this is preparation for the real world."
Sometimes I wondered, If this is just preparation… why does it already feel so real?
There were nights I stared at my ceiling longer than my notes. Nights when motivation disappeared and self-doubt got louder.
"What if I'm not as smart as they think?"
"What if I chose the wrong track?"
"What if I fail?"
But the strange thing about heavy seasons is this:
They don't last forever.
Even when they feel like they will.
Chapter Eight: The Small Wins
Not every victory came with applause.
Sometimes it was:
Finishing a project two hours before the deadline.
Answering a question correctly when I wasn't sure.
Surviving a reporting day without my voice shaking too much.
Passing a subject I once struggled with.
SHS taught me to celebrate small wins.
Because growth doesn't always look dramatic.
Sometimes it looks like quiet improvement.
Like reading your old essays and realizing you've gotten better.
Like remembering how shy you were on the first day—and noticing you're not that person anymore.
Chapter Nine: The Almost Breaking Point
There was a moment—I remember it clearly—when I felt like quitting.
It wasn't because I hated school.
It was because I was tired.
Tired of expectations.
Tired of trying to be strong.
Tired of pretending I wasn't stressed.
But that was also the moment I learned something powerful:
It's okay not to be okay.
I talked to a friend. I admitted I was struggling. And instead of judging me, they said, "Me too."
That "me too" saved me.
Because SHS isn't just about individual success.
It's about realizing you're not alone in the struggle.
Chapter Ten: Leadership and Responsibility
At some point, I stopped just being "a student."
I started taking initiative.
Volunteering for roles. Leading group discussions. Helping classmates understand lessons.
It surprised me.
The younger version of me would never have raised their hand.
But SHS slowly built my confidence. Not overnight. Not magically.
Through repetition. Through experience.
Responsibility didn't make me perfect.
It made me braver.
Chapter Eleven: The Realizations
By the time the final semester arrived, something inside me had shifted.
I wasn't just thinking about grades anymore.
I was thinking about purpose.
What kind of person do I want to be?
Not just what career.
Not just what salary.
But what character.
SHS showed me my strengths—and my weaknesses.
It showed me that I procrastinate sometimes. That I overthink. That I care deeply. That I push myself harder than I admit.
It showed me that growth is uncomfortable.
But necessary.
Chapter Twelve: The Last Days
The last week of SHS felt different.
Suddenly, the hallways didn't feel stressful.
They felt nostalgic.
The classroom walls I once stared at during boring lectures now felt familiar, almost comforting.
We took pictures.
Signed uniforms.
Promised to stay in touch.
Some of us will.
Some of us won't.
That's life.
But the memories?
They stay.
Epilogue: Who I Became
If someone asked me, "Who were you in SHS?"
I wouldn't answer with my GPA.
I wouldn't answer with my strand.
I would say:
I was someone who struggled but kept going.
Someone who doubted but didn't quit.
Someone who grew quietly and steadily.
SHS didn't just prepare me for college.
It prepared me for myself.
And if I could go back to that first-day version of me standing nervously at the gate, I would say:
"You're going to be okay.
You're stronger than you think.
And this journey? It's shaping you into someone you'll be proud of."