As I look back on my high school days, I realized that all throughout those long years I was searching for something. I was trying to find my true self, trying to find my passion. High school is without a doubt some of the toughest years I have ever encountered. When I first started 9th grade, I thought I was invincible. I had good grades, great friends and most importantly an amazing family. At this point in my life, I could not accept the fact that I was entering a new chapter in my life. I was blinded by the fact that everything I was destined to accomplish from that moment on was a path that would eventually lead me to where I am today.

During my first year of high school, I was absolutely sure that someday I was going to become a veterinarian. I pictured myself with a white robe saving animals; however, there was one problem. Science and I were not on the best of terms. Even though I tried my hardest to enjoy science I couldn’t. After this realization, I knew that medicine was definitely not going to be part of my future. Of course, ever since I was little I’ve been in love with animals, but it was certainly more of a hobby than a future career path. As time passed, I felt completely lost since I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. This led me to my worst semester in high school. My grades dropped, I lost several of my closest friends and even stopped playing tennis, which I had been playing since I was 5 years old. I entered a stage in my life where I had no motivation whatsoever. Although I accepted my error, I could not get over the fact that I disappointed the people I love... I let my family down. This made me realize that it was time for a change. In 10th grade, I took a public speaking class that drastically changed me. I discovered that I had a passion for writing. We were assigned to write all sorts of things, and of course, my favorite thing to write about was Harry Potter (I’m a major "Potter freak" btw). When I started to constantly write essays in order to present them in front of my class, I discovered that writing is what I truly love to do. I discovered that I had a talent. I was able to write in order to express my feelings, something I couldn’t do with just simple words.

For me, writing is not just a simple act of putting different words together on a piece of paper. Writing is a way of escaping my struggles, and in a way, it works as a medicine when I’m facing a problem. I realized that throughout my writing I can be whoever I want to be without anyone judging my true self. People see me as the tough country girl who is not afraid of anything, but little do people know that this puzzled teenager actually has a soft side. I write to satisfy my need of discovering my own identity. A pen and a paper are my best consolation when I’m going through a hard time. As I try to share my sorrows with other people, my tongue feels trapped. It is very hard for me to look at someone else's eyes and just open up. I am an extremely closed person, and I tend to build walls around me since my deepest fear is to get hurt. When I write, I enter a different world, a world in which all of my worries and problems disappear for a brief period of time. Instead of talking to my loved ones about my feelings, I prefer to reveal myself to my own piece of writing.

I want my writing to matter one day. I want people to know me. I want people to read my work and connect with it. Writing makes me feel alive and throughout the years, it has helped me become who I am today. To me, I’m just a girl who like many other young adults, is in the process of self-discovery. When I write, I feel free. No one can tell me what to write and what not to write. This long and difficult road has taught me that in order to find your way, you must find something to fight for, something that matters. I learned that no matter how lost you may feel, there is always a way out of that darkness. You just have to believe that someday, in your own special way, you will change the world... Even if you don't know it yet.