5/14/2024 The End of the Road
I would like to begin this blog by thanking all my teachers because, in every unique way, they have all influenced me as a person, student, and writer. By blogging, I became almost hyper-aware of my memories, thoughts, and understanding as a person. Rather than trying to mentally process all my thoughts, blogging and writing provided an avenue for me to share my thoughts and almost recollected myself. As a result, it served as a form of active meditation that I often found myself within while writing. I wonder if my experiences would have been any different had I physically written out everything rather than typed. Granted, it would be much slower and at point illegible, but I like to think the benefits would be enhanced.
I learned that my writing most aligned with the style of a journalist. Most of my writings resembled those of journals where the blank sheet acted like a canvas for my thoughts to flow freely. It is part of the reason why I enjoyed writing my blog A Journey through Fashion the most. In this blog, I would reflect on all my past phases when it came to dressing up. It allowed me to scroll through past pictures and thus recall past memories in the process of writing my blog. In parallel, the blog encompassed raw real life reactions to my past fashion experiences. Once I finished writing my blog, I felt surprisingly refreshed – like I had organized a part of my life that I hadn’t before. I also felt hopeful knowing that in a couple years, or even months, my thoughts would evolve and may be encompassed in another blog.
A suggestion for the AP Lit students of next year: read the white tiger. Truthfully, this book has gotten me back into reading. It was one of the few books given by school that I genuinely enjoyed reading. Following the story of Balram it is written in letter form and ironically contains many attributes similar to our blogs. He had an indirect recipient of his letters and thus his relationship with his audience is up for interpretation; for me I felt as if it was written for me. His journey, although exaggerated, has merit behind it. It follows the confining nature of India’s caste system and what it takes to escape. It’s a voice I was previously unfamiliar with and it felt much more real. Balram took unconventional routes of murder and crime that exposed harsh realities which left me hooked. I read the bulk of this book on my flight back from Portugal and was surprised to find myself happy to read it.
Within the voices project, I think I learned the most not from my own, but rather by listening to everyone’s presentation presenting a new voice or perspective on a voice. It neatly tied back to the start of the year where we watched the ted talk exposing the dangers of a single story. By each presenting a new voice, we were able to help break the stereotype about a single story and most importantly spread awareness to voices that have been previously marginalized. For example, listening to Jack Houck’s presentation specifically, I remember hearing about mental health primarily from a mens perspective and how there is often a stigma surrounding mental health issues with men due to their perceived strong character. It epitomized the idea that the first step to solving an issue is acknowledging that the issue exists and these voices projects did just that.
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To the incoming class of 2025, I recommend just one thing for senior year: gain a better understanding of yourself.
Truthfully, senior year has been and will be the most challenging year mentally and academically, but looking back at it in hindsight, it has also been the most fun and captured some of the best moments in my entire life. Yes, college applications will be hard, yes you may cry while opening decisions, and yes some dreams will be crushed, but I promise you will end up somewhere you will love. Senior year is a stepping stone that leads to a fork in the road where decisions will be made, but down each path holds a new memory, a new opportunity, and a new story to tell. Don’t stress about making the wrong decision because there isn’t a wrong decision. Enjoy senior year and spend as much time with your family and friends as you can because before you know it a new chapter will begin.
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