Whenever someone asks me where I am from and I tell them Des Moines, most people assume I went to a Des Moines Public School like Roosevelt, Hoover, North, East or Lincoln. Other people ask if I mean Des Moines, Des Moines, or if I mean like Johnston, Clive, Urbandale, West Des Moines or Waukee. When I tell them I went to Iowa Christian Academy, they look at me with a confused look. Even if they are from Des Moines or the surrounding area, they have most likely never heard of my school. The truth is, even if I have to spend 10-minutes explaining where I went to high school, I would not trade the experience I got there for anything.

Growing up in the same school since kindergarten, I was able to form amazing relationships with a lot of the teachers. Sure we got a new teacher or two every year, but there were several I got to know really well. My small school taught me to value relationships with teachers, even if they gave you a lot of homework because you never know what you will learn from them.

Small high school experiences are completely different. At my school, everyone participated in everything. You were in band, art, choir, drama, every sport you could be in. That was the norm. You didn't have to just pick one because there was no time for multiple activities. My small school taught me time management skills without me even knowing. Learning how to balance school with after school activities and work is a valuable life lesson I wouldn't change for anything.

When there are only 16 people in your class, you know everyone, and everyone knows you. If there was something you didn't want the entire school to know, you didn't tell anyone. Not even your best friend. The instant you tell one person, everyone knew. This gave me a certain amount of mistrust in people. I have a bit of a hard time opening up to new people.

Attending a "college prep" school meant that I have an abnormal amount of homework every night. Taking A.P. classes and online college classes could not have prepared me for college more. I learned that sometimes what seems like the easiest assignment, where it is just a "simple worksheet," can take the longest to complete. The test that was my favorite, multiple choice and matching, are now my least favorite because you are literally looking at the correct answer, but have no way of defending yourself like you do in an essay. My small school taught me not to take these things for granted, and I would not change it for the world.