This is my high school career: Haley Jensen
Haley Jensen, senior
May 8, 2014
I moved to Tracy the summer before my freshman year and I started school not knowing a single person. That was a scary experience, but it was the start of a journey with will stay with me forever.
My freshman year was not the most memorable, but it was significant because I learned how to be a high school student. The lessons that were imparted to me had less to do with literature, and more to do with the kind of student I wanted to be.
I took all college prep (CP) classes my freshman year which helped me realize that I wanted a greater challenge. I really developed my organizational skills, which became critically important in my junior and senior years.
My sophomore year was similar in that I became better at managing my time and getting work done efficiently. However, it was also the year that I started to come out of my shell. I had met people my freshman year, so as a sophomore I started going to sports games and rallies.
While I’m not as close to the people I befriended in sophomore year now, rooting for the Bulldogs at football games are some of my favorite high school memories.
Junior year was extremely difficult to say the least. I started taking my first International Baccalaureate (IB) classes, and at first I was very overwhelmed. I still remember the first night I got homework in History of the Americas I (HAI). It seemed like so much that I came home and cried, worried that I wouldn’t be able to make it through the year.
Alas, I made it through. Junior year challenged me academically like I had never been challenged before, but I feel like it really prepared me for life. All of those research papers taught me how to take good notes; on the other hand, it taught me how awful procrastination can be.
My grades had always been my main focus in previous years, often at the cost of my social life. I learned balance as a junior. I was able to maintain good grades and go to games and dances. If I could summarize my junior year in four words, it would be “work hard, play hard.”
Senior year has been a blast and I have had my fair share of surprises. One of my favorite memories was having the privilege to participate in Hoopla court as a Ms. Bulldog nominee. At first, I was terrified to learn of my nomination because it meant I had to dance in front of the whole school twice. It survived the embarrassment, and I feel so lucky to have had that experience with such great people.
It’s so easy to look back on all of those memories as a senior. Graduation is less than a month away and it feels like time is crawling by. Yet, when I reflect on my quiet freshman year, my growth as a sophomore, and the fun times I had as a junior, I realize that I am going to miss high school a lot.
The lessons that I have learned outside of my classes are invaluable. I feel prepared for college, which is a relief. It wasn’t an easy road, but it has been so worth it.
Although I still have much to learn, both about myself as well as academically, I think I’ll be able to face my future with some big advantages thanks to my time at Tracy High.
