“AARON! AARON! AARON!” The crowd cheered.
I stood on a pedestal marked ‘First Place”, as I held a huge trophy above my head. I had one first place in a film contest throughout all of the Connecticut technical High Schools. I watched as everyone cheered and clapped, although a blinding white light focused on me making it harder for me to see, I could make out bright red and blue spot lights that flashed around the room, teachers and students from all over Connecticut cheered for me. I pulled the trophy close and stepped back off the pedestal, I looked back to see my best friend, Bailey Norman, standing behind the curtain looking rather depressed. Bailey also entered in the competition but unfortunately, he didn’t win.
We were escorted back to our seats, we watched as each of the other students won awards in other competitions, such as carpentry, welding, automotive, computer repair, culinary, and many other trade related competitions. I looked over to Bailey once more, he still looked pretty bothered by the results. I tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hey!” I yelled over the applause and music in the auditorium. Bailey looked over and shedded a fake smile.
“Yo...” Bailey greeted.
“Um...we good?” I nervously asked.
“Yeah! Bro! Definitely, we would never stop being bros!” Bailey put his fist out with a thumbs up.
I smiled and fist bumped him with a thumbs up as well, this was our way of giving a handshake. Although Bailey assured me he was “alright,” I could hear the sound of sadness in his voice, screaming for help hidden behind the prison gates of his pride. Bailey had always wanted to go into the filmmaking industry and the contest was a way for him to begin getting his name out there as a filmmaker. I frowned a slouched back into my...
... middle of paper ...
... boarding, each seat had a t.v and air conditioning linked to it.
“Dude how long is it gonna take to get to KC from here” I sat back on my seat
“Um, well we should be at the airport in about forty-five minutes or so, from there-”
“Whoah! Airport?” I questioned
“Yea dude, how else would we get there?” Bailey argued
“Um I don’t know, maybe some sort of BUS!” I yelled. “Not some giant metal scrap in the sky that could be hijacked or fall at any moment!” I quickly moved to get up.
“Dude relax!” Bailey restrained me.
“I can’t do this, I need to leave now.”
“Dude! SIT DOWN AND LISTEN TO ME!” Bailey echoed throughout the full bus, everyone stared at us as we sat back down slowly.
“You need to calm down, you already paid three hundred bucks and you’re already here dude. Everything is going to be fine.”
I sat down and took a deep breath, I stood quiet the rest of the trip.
"Good job, kiddo!" Soda exclaimed, giving Ponyboy his own hug. Ponyboy's face broke out into a wide grin.
We sat there for a few more minutes then I got up and yelled for everyone to get ready to start moving again. I donned my pack and tightened the straps, and after making sure everyone else was ready, started off down the winding trail to the night’s campsite.
I stayed on a college campus for three days taking Yearbook and editor type classes to better prepare me for my new role which helped tremendously. On the final day, we had an award ceremony for the different schools attending. Each school had at least three students accompanied by their Yearbook advisor. However, I had to represent my school alone. The awards were for the best yearbook page design using two different types of software, a best photography award and an enthusiasm award. The only category I participated in was the page design with two girls from a different school. When it was obvious that my group did not win, I began drifting in and out of consciousness. Then an advisor of the workshop explained that the enthusiasm award wasn’t about showing school spirit, but by proving you were a hard worker, got your work done, and stayed focus. The advisor began telling of some characteristics the winner of the award showed and I began relating myself to these
It was my final moments as a Chelsea High School cheerleader. My final banquet had quickly approached. It was then that I realized I was not ready for the season to be over. I stood in front of my friends, fellow cheerleaders, and their families as they watched and waited for me to recite my last words as the season came to an end. It took hours for me to write about what my teammates and my coaches meant to me. I did not want to sound too nostalgic since I’m not the emotional type, but I also did not want to come across as indifferent. It was a difficult task but I knew I could accomplish it.
On stage, I anticipated third place, but was once again stunned when I placed second. This whole experience was life changing. Working for the National FFA Convention, I developed a work ethic to stick to something, and to do my best, even if it seems impossible. I also gained communication skills, and the ability to work outside my comfort zone. Even now it is hard for me to interact with others, but this accomplishment taught me that I can do hard things and I can communicate effectively. I learned how to perform research and express my findings. This experience was also very valuable for it directed me to my career path. It opened up doors as to my abilities, and gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams without fear. It taught me that failures happen, but enduring effort will turn failure into success. In my interviews, I learned that complete honesty is far better than false cover-ups. I became the person I am now because I was blessed with the experience. This project for some may be seen as a great award, but for me it's an invaluable occurrence which had more life skills and experience than a piece of paper can ever
Paradis finished calling the names and I was ushered off stage by Mrs. Nagri, the very math teacher with whom I had been working with for months. I was no longer recognized as a smart child who had participated in a demanding contest, rather, I was regarded as a child who did not have the mathematical capability that our school looked for in its children. As I watched from the side, the other students received awards, the best of which was a gold medal and trophy for my neighbor Shrey Patel, who had placed first in the competition within our school. All the kids remaining on stage had also qualified for the national event - an achievement which no one was going to forget for a long time. I watched my parents silently walk out of the gym, heads hung down, and I knew that they had higher hopes for me walking into the
... was the first time I had tasted real defeat, or any defeat for that matter. As I approached my parents, expecting them to be disappointed for not winning first place, my father glared at me with the illustrious smile that I knew so well and said, “Good job son. Proud of what you did. Keep it up.” What more could you ask of a father?
In high school, awards were easy to come by. It was not hard to earn appraisal or get gratification of one's work. When I began my journey at Bevill Staet Community College two years ago, all of the familiarities I was used to faded away and were replaced with the hardship and demanding aspect that is college. On that first day, I was introduced to someone who would then become a major influence in my life at Bevill. It all started with an early morning speech class in which I was essentially a fish out of watre. He strolled into the room with determination on his brow but a look of excitemnt in his eyes. The excitement was later to be discovered as a full fledge desire to share all he knew with us, a mere group of fifteen that had no clue
I nodded and left the room, so they could celebrate. I had a overwhelming sense of selfishness wash over me. I only did this, so, maybe, they help me get the rest of my pack out of the School.
I heard the "OHH's" from the crowd, I looked out to see everyone wide eyed and staring at me. A couple of teachers were rushing towards me, I decided it was now or never.
“Come on I know the best seat in the house to watch the game properly.”
At last we had brought all our practicing skills into work at the final stages. After working hard for three solid months it all paid off, the competing mat was beneath our feet. It was as if I could almost hear the girl?s hearts thumping before we walked onto the mat. I couldn?t stop smiling, I had the biggest grin on my face as if I were the cat who just ate the canary. Only when I thought that was enough, my facial expressions were amazing, all the nights I spent in front of the mirror or watching my self through the reflection of the glass door in my kitchen. It?s hard to go first because watching all the other teams compete makes you think, how did I do?
I didn’t show up at the Miss Lanier pageant expecting to win. There were at least 15 other girls competing against me. I just wanted to have fun that day. I was nine years old at the time. I wasn’t nervous at all, not about the 15 girls competing against me, not nervous about the three judges at the front of the stage, not nervous at all. Now that I look back on that day, I realize that I should’ve been nervous; my hands should’ve been shaking, my stomach turning, and my brain in turmoil while waiting to step on stage. But I wasn’t. All I wanted to do that day was have fun and maybe make a friend or two. My mom and I stood behind the stage, waiting, just waiting. At one point the pageant director came to make sure nothing was wrong. Some of the girls next to me were acting like it was Miss Universe, but I was just treating it like a dressed up walk on a stage. Once she left we stood in a line at the back entrance to the
put me a little at ease. We proceeded to the car and embarked on our