With graduation rapidly approaching there is a lot to reflect on when talking about high school. When I was freshman it seemed like it would never get to this point and now that I am here it is all happening too fast. The thing really caught my attention are the changes everyone goes through each year. Changes occur each year in every aspect of our life from physical appearance, the way we act, the way we think, and the people we hangout with. It’s been the best time of my life, but I hope its not THE best time of my life. Even though college will really be when I’m most free, I like to consider high school as the most free I will ever be, free as in I don’t have to pay for anything, and I have few responsibilities. Now that it’s almost over, all those things are starting to get real.

There are a lot of things I would advise my freshman self to do. The first would be to stay at the same position in football. I was very athletic freshman year, but I changed all that because I changed positions. The reason I changed was because I felt that was the only way I would start, but I should have stayed athletic. I don’t regret that because football was amazing, but I should have tried other sports rather than devoting myself to one sport. At this age we can go all day and wake up and go again, so I would tell myself to take advantage of my youthfulness. The next thing I would advise myself to do is to engage in as many conversations as possible. I always felt like I was a reserved guy throughout high school, but now I realize we grow from every experience. You never know who can help you or be your friend, so meet people, be outgoing, and enjoy.

The only thing I regret I didn’t do was try to play more sports and join clubs. I wish I would have played basketball. I didn’t find the sport till after football ended, but now it is my favorite sport. If I would have dedicated myself to it like I did to football, then I could have been great.

There are a lot of things I am proud of, but the biggest accomplishment was football. I love telling people my story because it was the greatest experience of my life. I can still remember the first time I practiced with pads, Conner Johnson rocked me, and I was ready to quit. I almost did, but luckily my best friend Trent convinced me to stick with it. After a season of sitting on the bench, I told myself I would never sit on the bench again, and I worked everyday to become a starter. Especially transitioning from sophomore to varsity, I put in a lot of time and sweat so I could start. I am proud to say I was a starter on one of the best Tracy teams ever. I am proud because all my work did not go unnoticed, and I had a chance to go play college football.

For the past month I have been doing a lot of reflecting, especially when deciding what college I was going to attend, but I think I’m done reflecting and regretting. I have decided to go to Chico State, and I hope to have the best four years possible. I plan to graduate and make a lot of money. Besides that, I don’t have a lot of plans yet.