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Born second to last and the only girl, family is a very prevalent force in my life. Friendships can always fade, but that connection I have with my family will live on forever. Despite being second youngest, I was still the oldest child in the house and so I learned very quickly how to be responsible and look after my youngest brother.

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When I wasn't watching bubble guppies or Dragon Tales, I also found myself taking an interest in shows like animal planet, discovery channel, and National Geographic. One of my favorite shows was "Monsters Inside Me" which is about different parasites and how they affect people. Despite the graphic nature and occasionally grim topics of some of these shows, I would beg to watch them because I found them so fascinating.

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Attack of The Face-Eating Parasite | Monsters Inside Me | Animal Planet

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Because we've lived here in High Point for forever, we visited a lot of the HPU community events. The most memorable ones being the Christmas events. For me, it was one of the most anticipated events of the year. I used to tell my mom that when I would grow up, I would come to HPU. Living so close to the school felt like gazing out at my future every time we drove past.

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I've always been very drawn to expressing myself through both art and writing. I used to "write" and illustrate my own books when I was little. It's always been an outlet for me to express myself when I couldn't find the words.

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5th grade is when problems really begin to arise. I was already not confident in my math abilities but by this time, my grades in math had begun to tank severely. But my school never gave notice to my parents that I was sinking while all the other kids were learning to float. They had to find out through me bringing my first (and only) F home. I felt terrible, I felt like a failure, but my mom reassured me that one F wasn't the end of the world, and that as long as I put in the effort to learn, things would get better.

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I started homeschooling in 6th grade, and from there we had to slowly rebuild my math ability from basically the ground up. It was embarrassing at times, having to retake beginner math to catch all the way up to the 4th grade level, but I was making progress and within my second year homeschooling, I was at the level I was meant to be.

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While I was doing great academically, I was suffering socially. The only people I talked consistently to were my family and the few friends I had were busy with their own school lives. It only got worse when covid hit, and the few social outlets I had were forced to temporarily shut down. My mental health took a big toll.

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My younger brother and I attended an open house for a high school since he would be starting his freshman year (and I, my junior year). I couldn't take the loneliness anymore and decided to give regular high school another chance. I loved the open house and agreed to enroll with my brother despite all the fears

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Junior year and finding my way through regular school

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Junior year and finding my way through regular school

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Navigating Junior year in a new environment was difficult, I had spent five years in homeschooling and that coupled with covid did a number on my social skills that I hadn't really accounted for. Every interaction I had felt clunky or awkward. But I kept pushing forward, and eventually I had found myself a wonderful friend group that lasts junior, senior year, and hopefully many more.

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I received a letter from the national honors society in October of my junior year. Because I didn't have as many volunteering opportunities in my earlier high school years, I didn't feel like I had enough experience to get in. I wrote a letter about my little experience, but my eagerness and tenacity and submitted that with my application. The teachers reviewing the applications really liked it, and soon I was inducted. A year later, I became the secretary!

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After waiting 12 years and working hard in school and activities, I received my hpu acceptance letter. I will always remember the cheers of excitement and the lightness in my chest. That was the moment I knew that my dreams were more than just dreams, but were really a possibility.