I believe that when you work hard, you can accomplish your goals. From since I was a young child, I remember my parents telling me I could be and do anything if I put my mind to it. From that moment, I was determined to take advantage of every opportunity that came my way and to try my best at everything. In elementary school, I stayed up late doing extra work, studying and getting excellent grades. Many of my friends asked me why I worried so much about getting good grades when it’s only elementary school and told me doing extra work and going the extra mile was a waste of my time. I explained to them that what they did now would set them up for the rest of their lives. Getting good grades in elementary school places you in higher level classes in middle school, and then in higher level classes in high school, which gets you into a good college. Our whole lives depended on what we did from kindergarten. I was placed in AIG classes in third grade. The teacher in that class treated me horribly, made stereotypical assumptions about me, and made me feel like I didn’t belong there. I started skipping her class because almost every day I did go to her class, I cried when I got home. We had parent-teacher conferences with the principal and that helped a little bit because I could tell this wasn’t her first time getting complained about and she probably feared for her job. This was an obstacle I had to climb over and I had to work even harder to prove myself to her. In seventh grade, I was selected from Duke TIP to participate in their talent search. I had the choice to take the SAT or the ACT and chose the ACT. I was excited to take the test so I could see my results and compare mine to my sister’s because we were competitive and she also participated in the Duke TIP talent search. I went in the room at Broughton High school to take the test. My legs were bouncing up and down and I had to sit on my hands. I took deep breaths and remembered the test taking strategies and advice my dad told me before he dropped me off, “ Do your best and keep track of the time babygirl.” I went in and took the ACT. Fast forward a month and the results come in the mail. I couldn’t wait to see what I had gotten. I see the paper. A bolded 26 was my average. I couldn’t believe it. I had thought I had gotten a 16 or lower because I didn’t feel I did well and my cousin who was very smart had gotten a 17. I couldn’t contain myself! I was jumping up and down and rushed to the phone to call my sister. A week or two later, I found out that I had gotten the highest ACT score in Martin, and one of the highest in Wake County! I was invited to a ceremony at Campbell University where I would be awarded with a certificate and a medal for my great accomplishment. A smile never left my face that day. My parents always told me to do my best, and when I did, there was a great outcome. I plan to go to Yale University like my sister, or another great ivy league school. The only way I can do that is by working hard because when you work hard, it really pays off.
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