Blake+S

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Smart. Educated. Social. Successful. These four words are just a few of the many that I will hopefully be able to label myself as when I graduate from Foothill. My choice to attend Foothill Technology High School is one that I won’t soon regret for many reasons. And it was definitely a decision that didn’t need much considering. Imagine going through middle school just waiting for the day you could go to the same high school your older sibling attended. That was how I felt about Foothill. Then the days I anxiously waited to get my acceptance letter went by slowly, and my high hopes and already planned lunch groups were destroyed. The only things I could feel besides disappointment were despondency and deprivation. Deprivation, because I felt I was being deprived of something other kids were getting without the want that I possessed. And I was despondent due to the false hope I had brewed inside me. However, weeks passed, and I slowly and precariously planned my next four years at Ventura High School. I began to let go the idea of going to Foothill even though I still held high hopes to get accepted. But I couldn’t get past my own doubts. I prepared for the coming school year, unaware of my acceptance call on our house voicemail. The excitement was clear on my face when my mom told me of the news, and we made the call to the school the day before it was too late. I clearly lucked out, and I am extremely happy to be here. Coming from a school of only 125 students, and going to Balboa where there were over 1,400, was a huge change. I personally didn’t and still don’t prefer big crowds everywhere I go and that would only have gotten worse if I had gone to Buena or Ventura. Foothill to me seemed more familiar and safe since my older sister Brooklynn went here. I figured the main parts of my decision were the teachers who would know me, and the curriculum. All the things I heard from friends about this high school were all good. “Oh, everyone there is really nice and smart.” My graduate friend told me. “You’ll love it there, Blake. The environment suits you and your personality perfectly.” My mom assured me. My sister went through a really difficult time at Foothill, so she wasn’t as open-minded about my being here and so her advice was that I should go to Ventura, where she graduated. At first I thought it would be the right thing to do. Go to Ventura where she went for her Junior and Senior years, and graduate because she would want me to. But that isn’t what I really wanted. My head and my heart played momentous roles in this decision of my education. However, my heart played a fairly bigger part than my head. My head did the obvious parts. Told me what I liked based on experience and memory, and showed me the surroundings I preferred. It was a fairly convincing matter based solely on my head’s decision. However, I had to take a moment to see what decisions were in store for me when I thought with my heart. My heart was even more convincing. I showed myself the relationships I had with people who were going to Foothill, and my want for a proper education that Foothill conveniently offered. I also felt like the kids I had come to know that went or go to this school were all really nice and incredibly accepting. And that fact made my choice all the more positive. I clearly like to be accepted and liked where I am, and I think it has to do with the fact that nobody should have a reason to dislike me. It is extremely hard for me to not be nice to somebody, and that paints a picture of my heart and the decisions I make when I follow it. In truth, I really didn’t do much research on the school. I had seen and learned a lot from my sister when she went here, and she was all the research I needed. Being around as many people as me who have graduated or gone to Foothill at some point in their lives, fueled my brain with enough information to like what I heard. When my sister went here, I had already known how to get to Mrs. Faulconer’s website, and I carried knowledge with me that she was sort of crazy. Being in her class now, I clearly see she is very random, and says some incredibly interesting things, but I came to school knowing what to expect from her. And it is like this with a few other teachers of mine as well. Including Dana who really likes my sister. She would tell me about his random exclamations, and his lanyard which of course I have come to know and love. So, I really didn’t need much research to know the school is fairly small, the teachers are great, and the students are all really nice and welcoming. My parents originally said that I could go to high school wherever I wanted. When I got my letter that said I was on the waiting list and didn’t get in, we did sit down and talk about my options of course. They wanted to make sure I was okay with having to go to Ventura. They could only be sure, because I had the option of Buena as well. I told them I wasn’t interested in school-of-choice because I honestly didn’t want to go to Buena, and they were fine with me preferring Ventura since my sister went there. I know my parents wanted me to go to Foothill for a few reasons even if they didn’t say it. They knew it would be a better experience for me, and they knew I would be much happier there. I have done a lot of school switching in the past, and both my parents and me thought it best to have me go somewhere I would stick with for the next four years. Anthony Robins once truthfully disseminated, “Using the power of decision gives you the capacity to get past any excuse to change any and every part of your life in an instant.” In conclusion, the decision I made to go to Foothill Technology High School took much pondering and questioning. However, the journey I took to get to that point of assurance was not one I would trade for any certain thing. I plan on prospering because of this decision and I now know that some of the choices I make will affect not only the outcome of something important, but the outcome of a stepping stone in my life. Confident, and lucky, I now attend Foothill, and I know I made the right decision in coming to this high school.