It was eighth grade; I remember this boy who sat at my table in Honors Algebra. I was always miffed when he would pull off the same score as me on a math test, while still claiming that he never even cracked the book. I had spent hours reviewing and re-reviewing problems and concepts, and this kid was getting the same grades as me without even trying. He was naturally smart, I thought. I, on the other hand, was smart but had to work hard at it. Now, four years later, he and I are still buddies, and we joke about how our paths to getting very similar GPAs have differed.

From very early on, I recognized that silence, i.e. not speaking up or asking questions, was “doomsday” for me. I had to be proactive, staying after class, going to office hours, and even getting a tutor, at times, to keep my GPA up. I needed to see and hear things presented more than once and in varied ways to fully make sense of a topic. Success, for me, was not achieved by cramming the night before a test; instead, I had to space my studying out over several nights and come up with a study plan when I knew an exam was on the horizon. As an athlete, time management, too, was key if I was to excel in my honors and AP classes. I also needed to learn from my mistakes; if I performed poorly on a test or an assignment, I needed to uncover where I went wrong because, ultimately, the material was going to build upon itself. At the same time, I discovered that I had to give myself some grace. I couldn’t perform perfectly all the time and when I didn’t, it was these hurdles that put my wheels in motion, driving me to rethink things and study differently next time. Teachers, I realized, loved when students asked questions. After all, not only were they my instructors but people who truly wanted me to succeed. My questions were probably ones that others surely had in the class.

As high school chugged along and, slowly, my GPA started to stick, I also found that study groups were helpful. My friends and I all had unique strengths when it came to school and why not share those with each other? Lastly, and perhaps most important, I found that getting a good GPA was not all academic. It was about taking the time for me and relaxing now and then. Everyone’s mind needs a break or some downtime from the daily grind. Carving out time for myself allowed me to focus so much better when I was trying to get studying done.

Today, nearly one month before graduation, I can honestly say that I will be entering college not necessarily with the exact knowhow of what it will demand but with the study skills to reach my dreams of becoming an architectural engineer. Excellence is not innate but something that is achieved only with proactivity, periodic failures, and the drive to overcome challenges. I am proud to leave high school with a GPA of 4.22 and as a member of the National Honor Society and Illinois State Scholars.