9th grade, it feels like it was only yesterday. I can’t believe how fast my highschool years have gone by. Graduating in 2022 is so different from all the movies, and previous years who had all 4 years on campus. My first year at ACLC was my first year in high school, and my first year in California. I’ve always gone to school with people I’ve known for years, so this was a big change for me. Freshman year, ACLC truly felt like a community I belonged in, I connected with the ACLC. I always felt supported, and encouraged. During sophomore year we went into lockdown resulting in distance learning for nearly two years. Part of me was happy that I didn’t have to go to school anymore but it started to affect my grades because I didn’t feel as connected. Senior year has been a rollercoaster, but one thing I can say never changed was the amount of support I have always received while being here!
P e r s o n a l Q u a l i t i e s
I’ve always been one to try and make people feel comfortable and respected while around me. Growing up my dad would always say this one saying and it stuck with me “treat others how you want to be treated”. When walking into a situation where I’m new or the people around me are new, it is so important for me to go in with a positive attitude and an open mind. Which ended up helping me in the long run because that reflected on how people treated me. Growing up I was kind of a one and done type of girl because that's what I saw growing up, so once I made my bed for the week, that was the last time that was gonna happen that week. Then I started to notice that refreshing feeling after making my bed vs when I didn’t make my bed, and the good outweighed the bad. so I decided to continue making my bed until it became a habit. That one small thing like making my bed helped me develop a morning routine that I will maintain throughout college.
N e w B a s i c s
Communication has been something that I’ve struggled with for a little while, but I do think that I’ve gotten so much better at using my voice to communicate how I’m feeling. My mom always tells me how she never knows what's going on in my head. Receiving news and then communicating how that news makes me feel is definitely something I am still working on. Something that helps me figure out how to put my feelings into words so that I am able to communicate them, is writing them down and going from there. I’ve always been one to act on how I feel in that exact moment, a few years ago I discovered writing out how I feel and then processing it and then communicating that to the people around me. In order for them to understand me and how I feel, I have to truly organize what it is I want to say. I found it extremely hard trying to explain what was going on inside without knowing how to word it in a way others understand. I also found it easier to do assignments if I first did my research and then wrote out what I found then combined it, instead of just going off what I think I know. I found myself being more prepared than I would’ve been if I hadn’t organized my points.
T h i n k i n g & R e a s o n i n g
Before coming to ACLC I was simple minded, and unable to sit down and think up a plan as to how I was going to get where I wanted. Freshman year ended and things started to get real for me so I started to brainstorm in depth plans for the future, at any time in the day. Seeing the seniors driving and waiting for their college decisions to come in, inspired me. I started to dream of things like getting my license and getting accepted to my dream colleges and how one day that would be me. I was right, today that is me. I’ve always been a problem solver, something my dad always says is that he named me “Love Angel” for a reason, because I want nothing but peace and happiness, for everyone not just me. I take things into my own hands even if it is a slight problem, for example my little sister getting in trouble for throwing away an adult’s cigarettes in our family. When I saw her getting in trouble I of course understood why she threw them away but I also knew why the adult was upset. So I made a plan to talk to both my family member and my sister to better understand their sides so I could explain them to each other. In my sister's defense she knew how bad they were and she didn’t want that family member doing something that is hurting them, and my family member didn’t like how she took them at such a young age and threw away something that she didn’t understand.. In the end they understood each other's reasoning and my sister's punishment was lessened.
I n t e r p e r s o n a l A b i l i t i e s
January 2021-August 2021 Working at McDonalds I was exposed to lots of customer service. I enjoyed helping customers, it was fun and a great first job experience. My managers found it best for me to either work drive thru, make drinks and serve them in the window, bag orders and serve them or take orders in the lobby. My personal favorite was taking orders in the front because I got to actually talk to the customers, greet them with a smile when they were next in line. I loved it when me and a customer would have a conversation outside of what they were ordering or talk about something we both enjoyed on the menu. The only thing that made me feel the good wasn’t worth the bad was when those customers were not having a good day or came in frustrated and took that frustration out on me. After working there with such amazing people and being able to go sit at the beach on my breaks, I wouldn't have asked for a better first job! When coming to ACLC my freshman year I saw the learners who were in Leadership doing things in the community and I was so intrigued. When it was the end of the school year I requested to be in Leadership the following school year. When I saw that I was in Leadership sophomore year, I was most excited to lead CCCs and connect with my small group. Unfortunately due to COVID that year was cut short and the following year was completely online which meant CCCs were optional. So when coming back Senior year I was so excited and wanted to take advantage of my last year in leadership and build connections with my last small group.
T e c h n o l o g y
The past two years have been nothing but technology. Before COVID I had just got my own personal laptop, a Macbook and I still have it today, it’s gotten me through every assignment, every zoom call, and every email. I appreciate the shortcuts and the reminders and checklists that are at the tip of my fingers, but I also appreciate mailing letters and having a sit down face to face interview. I feel that it's important to have access to my laptop so I take it everywhere because it always comes in handy for something. Even on vacation or when we are on school breaks I always end up needing my laptop for something, and it gets the job done every time. Technology provides the resources that all schools need. I'm able to send my Facilitators an email over our three day weekends if I need clarification on an assignment due the next week which comes in handy because it's quick and easy. When school transitioned to distance learning, it was a learning curve and most times frustrating but it was a wake up call that I think we all needed. Technology is the future and in college it’ll be the exact same, assignments will be online. So learning the fundlemetls and knowing how to fix the mic on my laptop or disabling the pop up block is something that will always be useful.
C o n c l u s i o n
Dear ACLC, Throughout my four years you have taught me so much, I'll always be grateful for the life lessons. My facilitators always said "we are preparing you for college" and if I'm being honest I thought it was annoying. In the back of my head I would say "I'm only a freshman who cares about college" but now its time and they were right, the whole time they were preparing us for college. You won't miss me, but I'll miss you. I'll miss the academic freedom you gave me. I'll miss the support and constant reassurance I received when I needed it. I'll miss how understanding and patient you were with me. ACLC you've helped me in ways you'll never know. Thank you for everything! Stay weird.