Lisa

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I started high school in Okemos, Michigan. Freshman year was exciting. I was really into debate, and spent almost every other Saturday night in a hotel room at a different debate tournament. One of my favorite freshman memories was the tennis team. I wasn’t very good at it, but loved every single minute on the court. When I stepped off the plane at RDU, all I saw were trees. The first day of school was discouraging as well, especially since Green Hope had super tight cliques, but things improved immediately. I didn’t make a ton of friends sophomore year, yet I couldn’t have asked for better ones. I was always so relaxed around them and we always had a good time somehow. After a week at the beach, junior year started. AP Bio basically took over my life. Was it all worth it? I don’t know, but I know I had never worked harder. Junior year I also joined the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, and became concertmaster of the Green Hope orchestra. Because of this, Ms. Cook invited me to join the cast of FAME as a music student. This was a dream come true of sorts because I had always wanted to be in the school musical, and even tried out my freshman year but didn’t make it. Being with so many talented cast members and singing my heart out under the beaming lights was a feeling I’ll never forget. Two words sum up the summer of junior year. GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL. I met some of the most incredible people in my life, became more passionate about music than ever, and probably came as close I would ever get to a perfect world. After a crazy and stressful junior year, this was the time I slowed down and figured out who I really was. Every day I was filled with an incredible feeling of contentment. So here I am, in my senior year. I went to Garba and dressing up in an Indian dress was so much fun. But it was funny how I could barely keep up with the middle-aged aunties and their crazy moves. At certain points in the past four years, I always thought that high school was simply a bridge, or critical step I had to take to get to bigger and better things. But looking back, I think found some really beautiful memories.