Take a Picture, It Lasts Longer

The process of taking a picture fascinates me. It is instantaneous, which is impressive on account of the multitude of subconscious steps taken. First, a person decides which memories are worth capturing; that is the hardest part. A photographer focuses on one subject and eventually zooms in. Then, she must choose, in that instant, to click the shutter button. After this, the shutter is released, and she finally achieve a physical representation of a memory.

At this point you may anticipate my intent to convey my adoration for photography; but, the funny thing is, I do not even own a camera! However, I understand this process because I experienced it when everything in my life began to “click”.

I was forced to “focus” on my high school experience. In my freshman year lit class, I scanned the room searching for the perfect moment to capture, I found that English was my “moment worth capturing”.

I began to understand my passion was reading and writing. My teachers inspired me with their encouragement during my freshman and sophomore years. I was honored to be considered one of their top students and was further encouraged to pursue literature at a higher level. Consequently, I was prepared to “zoom in” on literature by challenging myself in honors my junior year.

I had never looked forward to a class more than I looked forward to my honors English class with the “hardest teacher in the building”. She helped me realize that transforming into an adult was not about becoming a new person, but rather evolving and finding a goal to motivate myself. This class exposed me to classic literature. This was a crucial point in my high school career because my goal was to independently gain knowledge through reading, and not just memorizing my three hundred anatomy vocabulary words. Classic literature provided me with a new perspective on English because it entailed better focus and open-mindedness. The Scarlet Letter and Huckleberry Finn helped me appreciate the wisdom divulged throughout these novels. I came to treasure the process of breaking apart metaphors and identifying symbolism.This teacher unknowingly helped me establish goalsthrough the unlimited amount of hours she devoted to helping me evolve as a student. She encouraged me to push myself in all aspects of my life. In order to explore my potential as a writer, I fully engaged myself in the writing process. I sought out extra help because I was genuinely interested in fulfilling my potential as a writer. While striving for excellence, I also make sure to go beyond my comfort zone and establish an original idea through hard work. Specifically, I worked harder than I ever imagined while writing a character analysis of Chillingworth from The Scarlet Letter. After achieving a high grade, the flash went off. I understood that I was passionate about literature and willing to push myself in order to succeed.

Finally by the end of my junior year I was prepared to click the shutter button on literature. Now that I was more confident in my ability in English, I was able to pursue another goal of mine which is establishing an alternative literary magazine. The previous moments that coincide with a picture led up to my enrollment in Advanced Placement English. This is essentially the picture I created because it encompasses all of the effort I had exerted throughout my high school career into English.

I do not claim to have reached adulthood fully, but I feel as though I am ready to look for the subject of my next picture in college. I choose to believe that I have grown significantly as a person through my experience at this high school, both in perseverance and strength. I hope to build a legacy to aid future students in discovering their own passion through creative writing and art.