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The most challenging aspect of growing up through elementary school throughout college is balancing and prioritizing my mental health over all of it. I haven't been the best at dealing with and balancing negative emotions, so it's immensely more difficult when school gets in the way of my efforts. I try my best to prioritize my education because my future depends on it, but I'm always unsure of how to prioritize it when it adds to my stress. My biggest mistake last semester was overworking myself, I chose to work too many hours at my job, which affected my schooling, and I kept saying it wasn't draining me when it was. I don't like to complain, so it's hard to admit when I struggle. Growing up around many negative individuals significantly desensitized me from experiencing many situations with hostile people. During high school, the staff and teachers didn't care much about students' mental health; even in middle school, the school counsellors didn't help. On the bright side, when college came around, the professors and the school put a lot of effort into making sure we prioritized our mental health struggles and gave us many exceptions regarding schoolwork when going through a lot.

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I was excited to attend college since I have been stuck in the same town with the same people all my life. Once I moved to Oshawa around seven months ago, I met many new people and did many new things I couldn't do before moving. While attending college, I'm still trying to figure out what my future holds for me because I'm still determining what job I want after post-secondary. The classes I can take and the excellent professors greatly help with that self-conflict. It isn't easy to balance having a job, my social life, and ensuring my education is prioritized. There have been moments in the recent past when my job has interrupted my schooling, which I'm regretful about. Luckily, I can live with my Dad all my college/university years. I couldn't imagine how hard it is for countless students to balance all of what I mentioned, including having to pay for many more things. College has been a great new experience for me but very challenging at the same time.

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My social experience sort of died down a little after middle school ended, partially because my friends attended different high schools, so that I wouldn't see them every day anymore. However, when my friends and I would hang out, we would have fun. Starting high school, I viewed a lot of social stratification for the first time. Many different groups viewed themselves above others, and many individuals were not treated fairly. In high school, I tried to focus more on my education than my social life to prepare for post-secondary; hence why I chose to take my fourth year of high school digitally. High school teachers and peers also helped me find my future social placement because I was completely unsure of my future. Overall, my high school experience may have been less social, but I still had many experiences that introduced me to many new types of people and minor social classes.

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After elementary school, I attended a middle school with only seventh and eighth grades. However, it was a brand-new experience for my socialization. I made many new friends but also had several social conflicts compared to past years. During elementary school, I was not one to constantly go out and hang out with friends; middle school was the first time for those experiences. I would leave my house at 11 am and come home late at night and have plenty of sleepovers. Overall middle school was the prime years for me socially regarding school. I would do anything to go back to those days to spend with my old friends because I learned a lot about the different norms of people my age and how to fit in with the rest.

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I grew up in Lindsay, which has a population of around 20,000; it's not the biggest town. However, everyone basically knows each other. I went to this small elementary school from senior kindergarten until sixth grade. My personal experience there was the best I've had out of any other school I've attended. I got along with all my classmates and had great relationships with the teachers as well. I rarely had any bad moments; even when I graduated to go to middle school, I would frequently visit my sixth-grade teacher and have conversations after class. Overall, it was a great start for me to make new social connections with friends and teachers, and I also got some time to try out new sports to see if I would like them.