Senior Defense Essay
Be kind to yourself, then let your kindness fill the world. This relates to me and how I have grown because every time I am kind or do something involving kindness the world feels a better place. I have grown so much over the past four years of high school. I started my freshman year strong, and when I came to DTI, I fell down and got back up. I did not have the best grades sophomore year because I was new and did not know how this school worked, which caused my grades to go down. I also hung out with people I should not have hung out with. I now know who my real friends are and whom I can count on. I am ready to graduate and be recognized in the real world because I have stepped out of my comfort zone, fallen and gotten back up, and have worked so hard to be successful.
My biggest cheerleaders have been my teachers because they always kept me on track and made sure I understood what I was doing and picked me up when I fell down. My other biggest cheerleaders this year were my friends because we all did not start friends at all, but now we are closer than ever. They all helped me out with classwork and just motivating me not to give up. I want to thank Roberto, our counselor, for helping me choose what I want to do. He kept me on track as well. He made sure I got all my classes done and all my credits on time. With that being said, I want to thank all my teachers for always helping me and pushing me to do my best.
My academic journey is different from my parents because my dad never finished college, but it was always his dream to finish it. My mom never got to go to college because her parents believed that women should not study and stay home and take care of the household.. My brother right now is enrolled in Cabrillo College, and he is the first one in our family to graduate from High School. He has not finished his schooling because he has had to take a break from school. The reason for this is because he had surgery not too long ago, and we had some family emergencies. I want to be able to finish college first, then help my brother. I want to prove to my parents that I am a hard worker and determined to continue my career after college.
Three reasons why I should graduate from Diamond Tech are that I have fallen and gotten back up from not understanding the material and not getting the best grades. Second , I worked hard to get a decent GPA and take tests that show that I will succeed in my future career. However, I needed to improve in asking my teachers for help and not allowing myself to suffer by not asking for that help. I finally got the courage to ask my teachers for help, which made learning the material more easily.
One thing that I experienced this year in the DTI community that changed me as a communicator is the NFTE World Series of Innovation. It taught me to communicate with my teacher Mr.Tennant because I had to let him know when I had finish something on my presentation and make sure it was up to standard. If not, I had to go back and change whatever it was and show him again until it was good. We had to turn in everything that was needed for the presentation including the commercial, the product, and the slides. When one of my partners was not here, I had to step up and do the work they did not do. I had to communicate to Mr.Tennant that I had finished the work my partner did not do so we could get credit for that part. This changed me as a communicator because I was not use to going up to my teacher and asking him to check if everything was okay. I was used to doing the work and turning all of it at the end and seeing what was wrong with it.
I feel like I have mastered speaking and communication because when I was doing the NFTE presentations, I had to speak confidently and know my numbers front and back for the product I was marketing. I also had to communicate with my teacher and peers to do their part in making sure everything went smoothly. I had to ask Mr. Tennant if each slide in my presentation was okay, and if I was missing anything. I made sure it would get it done.
Another area I showed that I mastered speaking and communication was in my Career Presentation for Mr.Richards. I had to speak and present in front of my fellow peers about what college and job I was going to have after high school. I had to communicate with Mr.Richards, where I needed to get the information to know how much certain things were. I increased my communication with my teachers by asking them where the information for that particular assignment was.
Diamond Tech has prepared me for my future because I know in college I am going to have to present in front of my peers. Also, if I ever need to communicate with a professor in the future about how I get specific information for an assignment or presentation. I will not be scared or nervous to ask them for help.
Although, my increased skills in communication and being a self-directed learner will help me in the future and for the 21st-century workforce because I will able to communicate with my boss whenever I do not understand something, or I need more clarity on the job. Besides, this will help me with making sure I get everything done correctly and on time.
The two most important skills to me for my future are flexibility and adaptability. They apply to my academics, career, and entrepreneurial goals because next year I am going to be in a different environment. I will not be in high school. I will be going to a community college, and it is not the same as high school. You have to learn to be independent and be flexible with your schedule and timing. for example, you have to be flexible on when you are going to have your classes and if you are going to working during school. You have to make sure you have enough time to do everything. You also have to study if you have a test or assignments coming up. In my academic and career, I will have to adapt to being around people who know a lot about medical topics rather than being around just ordinary students. I will have to learn to adapt these new skills that I am learning at that time as well. For my entrepreneurial goals, I will have to put into consideration if I would like to continue my Scrub Buddies business or focus on school.
I learned to work independently will doing my Physical Education. I had to count my steps and see how many credits I needed to finish. I only needed ten credits because I did PE at my old school in my freshman year. This was hard for me to do independently because I did it at the very last minute, but I made sure I got it done on time!I had to talk with Esther and Keller to make sure my steps were valid and counted towards my PE credits. In the end, I calculated all my steps that were needed to finish my credits and got it done.
I learned to work collaboratively in groups in Ms.Manabe’s Agricultural Science class. We were in groups during the Animal Sustainability PSA. I was partners with Jasmine, and we had to come up with an idea of how we wanted our PSA to look. We showed how the animals were raised before big companies mistreated them. Also, we showed images and ways that people could prevent animals from being mistreated and how animals are raised humanely. We cited our sources at the end of the video, and we even got an award for the best PSA. I had a lot of fun working with Jasmine, and we made sure to split the work equally, so it was fair. Working independently and in groups will help me with my future goals in college and my career because it has taught me to be independent, but also work well with others.
Two projects that use technology to design and fabricate items during my high school career are my coasters with the holder. Also, my double exposure picture. I am going to talk about my coasters and the holder first. I needed to design a coaster that had a design on it. I had to engrave it with the laser engraver and cut out the coaster which is made of acrylic. I had to use Solidworks to engrave the design on it and cut it out. For my coaster holder, I had to use Solidworks to also 3D print my coaster holder. That was super hard because I had to redo it many times. I was off by a couple of millimeters every single time. Which is the reason that caused me to do it multiple times, but I eventually got the right size.
My second project that uses technology to design and fabricate was the Double Exposure I did in Photography. I had to take regular portraits of my peer and make sure they were edited the way I wanted it. I had to make selective adjustments on things I thought needed a little tweaking. Also, I had to take pictures of textures around me that I thought went well with my peer's portrait. I used Adobe programs like Bridge, Photoshop, and Camera Raw. These are all editing programs, and at the end, I had to mask everything together. I had to make sure my photo had to have a watermark and mid-tone boost. These two projects influenced my future on using technology by teaching me to use these high-end machines and programs. I will probably have to use them in college or when my friends or family ask me to take pictures of them.
The business plan and my Economics class taught me to understand financial literacy, budgeting, and understanding of cost in business and personal life. The business plan showed me how to manage and budget my money. It taught me how much certain things cost for a business to start up and continue to thrive. Also, in my economics class, I learned what assets, liabilities, and owner's equity are. I learned what each thing you buy goes under and how to deduct it. I also, learn how to make balance sheets, income statements, and many more other things. This all taught me how to use my money efficiently and responsibly. I will continue to utilize these skills after high school graduation by not spending all my financial aid on unnecessary things. Also, if I want to buy or rent a house, I will need to learn how to manage my money and be independent. Some skills that I possess and that none of my friends do are learning how to manage and start a business. Also, they don't know how to take professional pictures and edit them. They do not know how to use laser engravers or 3D printers.
I didn't miss much school during my senior year and my participation improved a lot. In the beginning, when I came to DTI, I would miss a lot more school, but most of the time was because of my health or family emergencies. If I ever missed school, I made sure that it was excused with a doctor's note or my parents calling in. I started becoming more independent and making sure I got to school on time when I got my license. I was late once because I had a car issue which happens to everyone at least once. My participation in my school also improved a lot. I was more aware of fundraisers and helped out the school when they needed my help. For example, I helped out the school soccer team get their uniforms, the school flea market, the new school patio. I did my best to help out my final year here at DTI. This will support my success in college and career after high school because I will make sure that if I ever miss school or work, I have a note. Also, this will help with making me want to help out in college and always be on time.
I noticed that my school has a lot of diversity and they do not discriminate towards anyone. They let you make your own club as long as it is school appropriate and nobody else finds it offensive or hurtful towards them. I like how they let some of the younger classmen started the LGBTQ community club. I am thrilled they started this because it makes everyone feel welcomed and not left out. I have so much respect for them, and I accept them for who they are.
One project that demonstrated the interconnectedness of all things was my Career Presentation with Mr.Richards. We had to do so much research on our careers and where we wanted to live, and what kind of lifestyle we wanted to have. This was something we never did before, and I found it super fascinating and shocking how much everything cost and how much I was going to make in my career. It opened up my eyes to see the real picture that nothing is free in this world, and that we have to pay for every little thing in life. Even if almost all my classes and projects have some sort of interconnectedness this project was so informative and well needed. This project impacted my plans for the future because it taught me if I wanted to have two kids or one. If I wanted to spend more money on a fancy car than my house, it was just something I never knew I needed until I did it. My decision making changed a lot during my time at DTI. I learned that I should not let other people make decisions for myself. That I am the one in control of my life and that it is my decision what I want to do after high school.
A project that made think most deeply in my high school career was the short story for Mr. Licata. I wrote this short story about my friend who got into a car accident with her mom and little brother, which caused her little brother and mom to pass away. She survived, but she later found out that she had leukemia and her dad felt like that was the only piece of the family he had left. Later on, his dad got to ill and passed away too. Her dad committed suicide, which was something super hard and tragic for me. This project made me think deeply and emotionally, but I felt like it was one of my stories that I wanted to share with my teacher.
I became a self-advocate by talking to Ms.Keller about the ROL’s on Weebly. I felt like we had too many ROL’s and it was just not possible to finish all 26 of the ROL’s in the time frame we had. I showed her that I have been working super hard on trying to finish the ROL’s and stay up every night to finish them, but it was not possible. I was even staying after school to finish them. I told her that I understand that we needed to reflect on the work we had done, but that it was hard to think back to the course descriptions of last year. She took off the ROL’s for 11 grade which lifted off a weight off my shoulder and many of my peer's shoulders as well. If I did not do this, there was no way I would have been able to finish them, and if I did finish them. They would have been super bad.
One of the most significant calculated risks I took as a learner was to do the Water PSA for Mr.Richards. The reason for this was because I didn't even want to do this project at first. We had other important projects to do. I felt like it was something that I should not be proud of, but I am. Me and my partners Luis and Itzuri took the risk of shooting the Water PSA, and we ended up winning a cash prize. We got runner up, and we got to go to the council meeting in Capitola. We saw all the other winners PSA’s including ours. I felt like we made Mr.Richards very proud because we got to be in movie theater previews and he got to meet some remarkable people there. We took this risk because nobody else wanted to do it, and we wanted to do it just for fun. In the end, it turned out better than expected.
I feel like my English class has a lot of transferred learning skills in real life because we learn how to write proper essays. We also, learn how to cite our facts properly. If anything these are some skills that everyone needs in their daily lives. This will also, help me in the future because when I need to write an essay in college, I will know how to cite my work correctly and write efficiently.
My Freshmen year, I experienced being at a school where the staff and administration did not care about the students. All they cared about was putting up an image and making sure everyone knew they were the best. I struggled with my mental health because I was so stressed out all the time. I wanted to get those good grades, but I did not put my health into consideration. I would go to sleep around one or two in the morning almost every single night to try to finish the homework for a class. At a certain point, I figured out that I needed to move away from this toxic school. I needed to find something different. A different school that had to offer me better things and that cared about me as an individual. Even if I got honor roll my freshman year, I knew I did not want to go through what I went through to get that. I decided to move to DTI, knowing very little about it. When I came to meet with Ms.Keller and Esther, I remember telling them everything and how I felt about Ceiba. How I had to go to counseling and got migraines every single day. How we lost so many teachers and principals. Ms.Keller cried, I cried, I knew that this was going to be a significant change, but a good one. What hurt me the most was leaving my friends of 5 plus years. I knew that I was ready for this new milestone, but I was definitely scared.
My sophomore year at DTI was terrifying and nerve-racking. I did not know anyone besides my friend Itzuri. I was not sure if the kids here were going to like me. I remember at the beginning I would not want to talk to my peers because I was shy. Also, I never asked the teachers for help when I needed it. Like I said before coming from a different school that teaches you to do everything on your own and having to do it yourself. I would always like to work by myself and not have to rely on my teachers or peers. This is was one of my biggest struggles because I was learning new material that I had never worked with before. I needed to ask the teachers for help, but instead, I made my life harder and did it myself. I eventually started asking some of my peers to help me out, but that took me a while too. I also, hanged out with people that I probably should not hang out with. I learn from my mistakes and all the drama that went on this year.
My Junior year was different; I now understood how Diamond Tech worked and what I needed to do. I started to ask my teachers for help more often, and I figured out other ways to get my grades up. I was struggling with e2020. I was not getting the grade I wanted. I felt like I was rushing through everything without learning anything. I was taking notes almost all the time, but it was not cutting it. I had to stay after school and do them at home. I finished my Spanish class a couple of months before it was due so I could work on my E2020. This helped me a lot. I needed to start focusing on what I wanted to do with my life after college. I struggled so much with this because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be or what I wanted to study. I had not even taken the ACT or SAT. I eventually went to take the ACT. It was the first and only time I took it. I felt like I did not need to take it because I wasn’t even sure if I was going to go to a four-year university or a college. Many things happened this year that caused me to not focus on the essential things on my life. A lot of drama and boyfriend issues happened. I had just gotten out of a relationship which sparked a lot of drama in between my class group. I started focusing on my senior year and myself and my education.
My Senior year was something I never expected it to come so fast. I felt like it was just yesterday that I was starting my freshman year, but now I am an adult who will eventually go to college. I struggled a lot with not knowing where I was going to go after high school. I didn’t have the perfect ACT score to apply to prominent universities or the perfect GPA. I didn't even know what I wanted to major in until not that long ago. I learned that I want to become a Medical Assistant. I applied to many universities, and I got accepted to all of them except CSUMB. It was okay it was not meant to be. I also, applied too many colleges. I was and still, am set on going to Monterey Peninsula College.
Me and my friend Sofia plan on attending MPC in the Fall. I will be majoring in Medical Assistant and getting an associates degree. I have worked so hard to get to where I am right now. I have had some ups and downs, but my senior year has been one of my most influential and most significant years. I have received honor roll twice. I have straight A’s, and I am the happiest I have ever been. I have overcome these struggles of not knowing the material of my new school and moving to a new school, drama at school, and not knowing what to do after high school by allowing myself to talk to my teachers and peers about the material I did not understand. I needed to let that fear of my teacher judging me for not knowing the material go and have them sit there with me and teach it to me. Also, I needed to overcome this fear of moving to a new school, so it can better my health and my education. By doing this, I was involved in some drama and with some negative people that did not want to see me happy and succeed. I showed them in my senior year that I do not need them and that I can succeed without them. I have become a happier and better person. I now know what I want to do with my life and have people pushing me to succeed and follow my goals in life. All of this contributed to my growth as a human because this all taught me some valuable lessons of needing to fall and get back up. I am going to go to college and meet new professors and students. I will have to ask those professors for help or my peers to help me understand this new material and how college works in general.
The biggest takeaways from the Engineering pathway is the Engineering Design Process. That taught me how to explain why I did the projects I did and how I had to do it. It is some steps you take before making your product or design. Also, another take away I took from Engineering was that you are going to make a mistake. At one point, I made three to four mistakes. I did not get the dimensions right when I was making my coaster holder. It does not matter if you make mistakes because eventually you will get the hang of it, and that is how you are going to get better. I learned so much this final year of Engineering. I never knew how to use MasterCAM or SolidWorks. I had to struggle to learn how to make a simple square or circle. I eventually got the hang of it, and I remember having to call Mr. Roach to have him sit right next to me to teach me how to do it over and over again. I felt like this was one of my strongest years in this class. I learned how to use the programs and the big machines in this class. I am so grateful for Mr. Roach for not giving up on me and being there every step of the way.
Some of the biggest takeaways I took from Agriscience are that we should treat animals with respect and humanely. Also, global warming is something, and we should take action before it is too late. It is already too late, but it is now or never. I learn how raising animals inhumanely can be bad for our environment and health. We should let these animals roam freely and not put these gross hormones and chemicals in them. They should not be locked up in these small cages where they can not move or even see sunlight sometimes. In other words, we can stop these big companies from treating these animals so inhumanely. We can take action and not buy food from these companies. We can buy food that says is raised in cage-free or pasteurized.
Another vital thing is global warming. It is happening today and every day. If we do not stop global warming or at least prevent it from happening more, we will not have this beautiful plant that we have. We will get rid of many astonishing and unique animals like polar bears, penguins, fishes, etc. We also, might not be here in the next few years. Global warming causes many big natural disasters, and we could even be extinct. We also, need to take action and protect our planet for our kids and our grandkids' future. I am also, very grateful for Ms.Manabe for teaching me real-world problems and showing me how we should treat our animals and our planet.
In Business and Entrepreneurship, some of my biggest takeaways are that I learned how to manage my money and how to start a business. Also, I learned what a business is and what you need to start and run one. At the beginning of all of this, I did not know anything about how to start or how to run a business. I finally learned that you have to make something that is new and innovative. It has to grab the customers attention, and it should be for every person, not just one specific type of person. You also, have to make your product the cheapest way, but that does not mean that your product needs to look cheap. You want to give your customers the best quality out there. In this class, it taught me to step out of my comfort zone and take risks. By taking this risk, I have been rewarded and have learned so much more. I have learned not to be scared and it's okay to be nervous, but you have to sell it on stage to win it. I have learned so much from Mr. Tennant and this pathway. It's taught me to follow through with my business and see where it takes me. That I do have potential and I am a hard worker.
Finally, in Digital Media, some of my biggest takeaways are that not everything goes as plan, but you can make the best of what you have. I never had to take pictures and edit them before. It was something new and amazing, I learned. Digital Media has taught me to express myself and capture special and unique moments. By doing this, I had to edit and preprocess these pictures to enhance their beauty. I also had to learn how to use Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, and Photoshop. These are programs that help me edit my pictures, which sometimes can be complicated if you never had to use these programs before like me. It took me a while to understand how to use the programs, but I eventually got the hang of it. I feel like I can professionally edit photos for myself or anyone else in need of photos. I learned to take two or three times the amount of photos you are required to take. It might look good on the camera, but when you open it on a big screen, you will see if it is in focus or if something looks weird. Also, Mr. Richards has taught me to be patient and that everything will work out. I need to give it time. He is always there when something is not going as planned or when I cannot figure what else is wrong with my picture. I am thankful for him because now I have this passion for photography and have a different way of expressing myself.
All these pathways have been instrumental in my plans for post-high school, but the business pathway has been even more instrumental. The reason for this was because it helped me learn more about businesses and how they work. I can now help my dad, who owns his business by being more educated on how this industry works. I can help him lower his expenses and make sure he is managing his money correctly. This will also, benefit me when I start working and want to open a small business to make extra money on the side. I will know how to manage my money, time, and expenses.
My biggest cheerleaders have been my teachers because they always kept me on track and made sure I understood what I was doing and picked me up when I fell down. My other biggest cheerleaders this year were my friends because we all did not start friends at all, but now we are closer than ever. They all helped me out with classwork and just motivating me not to give up. I want to thank Roberto, our counselor, for helping me choose what I want to do. He kept me on track as well. He made sure I got all my classes done and all my credits on time. With that being said, I want to thank all my teachers for always helping me and pushing me to do my best.
My academic journey is different from my parents because my dad never finished college, but it was always his dream to finish it. My mom never got to go to college because her parents believed that women should not study and stay home and take care of the household.. My brother right now is enrolled in Cabrillo College, and he is the first one in our family to graduate from High School. He has not finished his schooling because he has had to take a break from school. The reason for this is because he had surgery not too long ago, and we had some family emergencies. I want to be able to finish college first, then help my brother. I want to prove to my parents that I am a hard worker and determined to continue my career after college.
Three reasons why I should graduate from Diamond Tech are that I have fallen and gotten back up from not understanding the material and not getting the best grades. Second , I worked hard to get a decent GPA and take tests that show that I will succeed in my future career. However, I needed to improve in asking my teachers for help and not allowing myself to suffer by not asking for that help. I finally got the courage to ask my teachers for help, which made learning the material more easily.
One thing that I experienced this year in the DTI community that changed me as a communicator is the NFTE World Series of Innovation. It taught me to communicate with my teacher Mr.Tennant because I had to let him know when I had finish something on my presentation and make sure it was up to standard. If not, I had to go back and change whatever it was and show him again until it was good. We had to turn in everything that was needed for the presentation including the commercial, the product, and the slides. When one of my partners was not here, I had to step up and do the work they did not do. I had to communicate to Mr.Tennant that I had finished the work my partner did not do so we could get credit for that part. This changed me as a communicator because I was not use to going up to my teacher and asking him to check if everything was okay. I was used to doing the work and turning all of it at the end and seeing what was wrong with it.
I feel like I have mastered speaking and communication because when I was doing the NFTE presentations, I had to speak confidently and know my numbers front and back for the product I was marketing. I also had to communicate with my teacher and peers to do their part in making sure everything went smoothly. I had to ask Mr. Tennant if each slide in my presentation was okay, and if I was missing anything. I made sure it would get it done.
Another area I showed that I mastered speaking and communication was in my Career Presentation for Mr.Richards. I had to speak and present in front of my fellow peers about what college and job I was going to have after high school. I had to communicate with Mr.Richards, where I needed to get the information to know how much certain things were. I increased my communication with my teachers by asking them where the information for that particular assignment was.
Diamond Tech has prepared me for my future because I know in college I am going to have to present in front of my peers. Also, if I ever need to communicate with a professor in the future about how I get specific information for an assignment or presentation. I will not be scared or nervous to ask them for help.
Although, my increased skills in communication and being a self-directed learner will help me in the future and for the 21st-century workforce because I will able to communicate with my boss whenever I do not understand something, or I need more clarity on the job. Besides, this will help me with making sure I get everything done correctly and on time.
The two most important skills to me for my future are flexibility and adaptability. They apply to my academics, career, and entrepreneurial goals because next year I am going to be in a different environment. I will not be in high school. I will be going to a community college, and it is not the same as high school. You have to learn to be independent and be flexible with your schedule and timing. for example, you have to be flexible on when you are going to have your classes and if you are going to working during school. You have to make sure you have enough time to do everything. You also have to study if you have a test or assignments coming up. In my academic and career, I will have to adapt to being around people who know a lot about medical topics rather than being around just ordinary students. I will have to learn to adapt these new skills that I am learning at that time as well. For my entrepreneurial goals, I will have to put into consideration if I would like to continue my Scrub Buddies business or focus on school.
I learned to work independently will doing my Physical Education. I had to count my steps and see how many credits I needed to finish. I only needed ten credits because I did PE at my old school in my freshman year. This was hard for me to do independently because I did it at the very last minute, but I made sure I got it done on time!I had to talk with Esther and Keller to make sure my steps were valid and counted towards my PE credits. In the end, I calculated all my steps that were needed to finish my credits and got it done.
I learned to work collaboratively in groups in Ms.Manabe’s Agricultural Science class. We were in groups during the Animal Sustainability PSA. I was partners with Jasmine, and we had to come up with an idea of how we wanted our PSA to look. We showed how the animals were raised before big companies mistreated them. Also, we showed images and ways that people could prevent animals from being mistreated and how animals are raised humanely. We cited our sources at the end of the video, and we even got an award for the best PSA. I had a lot of fun working with Jasmine, and we made sure to split the work equally, so it was fair. Working independently and in groups will help me with my future goals in college and my career because it has taught me to be independent, but also work well with others.
Two projects that use technology to design and fabricate items during my high school career are my coasters with the holder. Also, my double exposure picture. I am going to talk about my coasters and the holder first. I needed to design a coaster that had a design on it. I had to engrave it with the laser engraver and cut out the coaster which is made of acrylic. I had to use Solidworks to engrave the design on it and cut it out. For my coaster holder, I had to use Solidworks to also 3D print my coaster holder. That was super hard because I had to redo it many times. I was off by a couple of millimeters every single time. Which is the reason that caused me to do it multiple times, but I eventually got the right size.
My second project that uses technology to design and fabricate was the Double Exposure I did in Photography. I had to take regular portraits of my peer and make sure they were edited the way I wanted it. I had to make selective adjustments on things I thought needed a little tweaking. Also, I had to take pictures of textures around me that I thought went well with my peer's portrait. I used Adobe programs like Bridge, Photoshop, and Camera Raw. These are all editing programs, and at the end, I had to mask everything together. I had to make sure my photo had to have a watermark and mid-tone boost. These two projects influenced my future on using technology by teaching me to use these high-end machines and programs. I will probably have to use them in college or when my friends or family ask me to take pictures of them.
The business plan and my Economics class taught me to understand financial literacy, budgeting, and understanding of cost in business and personal life. The business plan showed me how to manage and budget my money. It taught me how much certain things cost for a business to start up and continue to thrive. Also, in my economics class, I learned what assets, liabilities, and owner's equity are. I learned what each thing you buy goes under and how to deduct it. I also, learn how to make balance sheets, income statements, and many more other things. This all taught me how to use my money efficiently and responsibly. I will continue to utilize these skills after high school graduation by not spending all my financial aid on unnecessary things. Also, if I want to buy or rent a house, I will need to learn how to manage my money and be independent. Some skills that I possess and that none of my friends do are learning how to manage and start a business. Also, they don't know how to take professional pictures and edit them. They do not know how to use laser engravers or 3D printers.
I didn't miss much school during my senior year and my participation improved a lot. In the beginning, when I came to DTI, I would miss a lot more school, but most of the time was because of my health or family emergencies. If I ever missed school, I made sure that it was excused with a doctor's note or my parents calling in. I started becoming more independent and making sure I got to school on time when I got my license. I was late once because I had a car issue which happens to everyone at least once. My participation in my school also improved a lot. I was more aware of fundraisers and helped out the school when they needed my help. For example, I helped out the school soccer team get their uniforms, the school flea market, the new school patio. I did my best to help out my final year here at DTI. This will support my success in college and career after high school because I will make sure that if I ever miss school or work, I have a note. Also, this will help with making me want to help out in college and always be on time.
I noticed that my school has a lot of diversity and they do not discriminate towards anyone. They let you make your own club as long as it is school appropriate and nobody else finds it offensive or hurtful towards them. I like how they let some of the younger classmen started the LGBTQ community club. I am thrilled they started this because it makes everyone feel welcomed and not left out. I have so much respect for them, and I accept them for who they are.
One project that demonstrated the interconnectedness of all things was my Career Presentation with Mr.Richards. We had to do so much research on our careers and where we wanted to live, and what kind of lifestyle we wanted to have. This was something we never did before, and I found it super fascinating and shocking how much everything cost and how much I was going to make in my career. It opened up my eyes to see the real picture that nothing is free in this world, and that we have to pay for every little thing in life. Even if almost all my classes and projects have some sort of interconnectedness this project was so informative and well needed. This project impacted my plans for the future because it taught me if I wanted to have two kids or one. If I wanted to spend more money on a fancy car than my house, it was just something I never knew I needed until I did it. My decision making changed a lot during my time at DTI. I learned that I should not let other people make decisions for myself. That I am the one in control of my life and that it is my decision what I want to do after high school.
A project that made think most deeply in my high school career was the short story for Mr. Licata. I wrote this short story about my friend who got into a car accident with her mom and little brother, which caused her little brother and mom to pass away. She survived, but she later found out that she had leukemia and her dad felt like that was the only piece of the family he had left. Later on, his dad got to ill and passed away too. Her dad committed suicide, which was something super hard and tragic for me. This project made me think deeply and emotionally, but I felt like it was one of my stories that I wanted to share with my teacher.
I became a self-advocate by talking to Ms.Keller about the ROL’s on Weebly. I felt like we had too many ROL’s and it was just not possible to finish all 26 of the ROL’s in the time frame we had. I showed her that I have been working super hard on trying to finish the ROL’s and stay up every night to finish them, but it was not possible. I was even staying after school to finish them. I told her that I understand that we needed to reflect on the work we had done, but that it was hard to think back to the course descriptions of last year. She took off the ROL’s for 11 grade which lifted off a weight off my shoulder and many of my peer's shoulders as well. If I did not do this, there was no way I would have been able to finish them, and if I did finish them. They would have been super bad.
One of the most significant calculated risks I took as a learner was to do the Water PSA for Mr.Richards. The reason for this was because I didn't even want to do this project at first. We had other important projects to do. I felt like it was something that I should not be proud of, but I am. Me and my partners Luis and Itzuri took the risk of shooting the Water PSA, and we ended up winning a cash prize. We got runner up, and we got to go to the council meeting in Capitola. We saw all the other winners PSA’s including ours. I felt like we made Mr.Richards very proud because we got to be in movie theater previews and he got to meet some remarkable people there. We took this risk because nobody else wanted to do it, and we wanted to do it just for fun. In the end, it turned out better than expected.
I feel like my English class has a lot of transferred learning skills in real life because we learn how to write proper essays. We also, learn how to cite our facts properly. If anything these are some skills that everyone needs in their daily lives. This will also, help me in the future because when I need to write an essay in college, I will know how to cite my work correctly and write efficiently.
My Freshmen year, I experienced being at a school where the staff and administration did not care about the students. All they cared about was putting up an image and making sure everyone knew they were the best. I struggled with my mental health because I was so stressed out all the time. I wanted to get those good grades, but I did not put my health into consideration. I would go to sleep around one or two in the morning almost every single night to try to finish the homework for a class. At a certain point, I figured out that I needed to move away from this toxic school. I needed to find something different. A different school that had to offer me better things and that cared about me as an individual. Even if I got honor roll my freshman year, I knew I did not want to go through what I went through to get that. I decided to move to DTI, knowing very little about it. When I came to meet with Ms.Keller and Esther, I remember telling them everything and how I felt about Ceiba. How I had to go to counseling and got migraines every single day. How we lost so many teachers and principals. Ms.Keller cried, I cried, I knew that this was going to be a significant change, but a good one. What hurt me the most was leaving my friends of 5 plus years. I knew that I was ready for this new milestone, but I was definitely scared.
My sophomore year at DTI was terrifying and nerve-racking. I did not know anyone besides my friend Itzuri. I was not sure if the kids here were going to like me. I remember at the beginning I would not want to talk to my peers because I was shy. Also, I never asked the teachers for help when I needed it. Like I said before coming from a different school that teaches you to do everything on your own and having to do it yourself. I would always like to work by myself and not have to rely on my teachers or peers. This is was one of my biggest struggles because I was learning new material that I had never worked with before. I needed to ask the teachers for help, but instead, I made my life harder and did it myself. I eventually started asking some of my peers to help me out, but that took me a while too. I also, hanged out with people that I probably should not hang out with. I learn from my mistakes and all the drama that went on this year.
My Junior year was different; I now understood how Diamond Tech worked and what I needed to do. I started to ask my teachers for help more often, and I figured out other ways to get my grades up. I was struggling with e2020. I was not getting the grade I wanted. I felt like I was rushing through everything without learning anything. I was taking notes almost all the time, but it was not cutting it. I had to stay after school and do them at home. I finished my Spanish class a couple of months before it was due so I could work on my E2020. This helped me a lot. I needed to start focusing on what I wanted to do with my life after college. I struggled so much with this because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be or what I wanted to study. I had not even taken the ACT or SAT. I eventually went to take the ACT. It was the first and only time I took it. I felt like I did not need to take it because I wasn’t even sure if I was going to go to a four-year university or a college. Many things happened this year that caused me to not focus on the essential things on my life. A lot of drama and boyfriend issues happened. I had just gotten out of a relationship which sparked a lot of drama in between my class group. I started focusing on my senior year and myself and my education.
My Senior year was something I never expected it to come so fast. I felt like it was just yesterday that I was starting my freshman year, but now I am an adult who will eventually go to college. I struggled a lot with not knowing where I was going to go after high school. I didn’t have the perfect ACT score to apply to prominent universities or the perfect GPA. I didn't even know what I wanted to major in until not that long ago. I learned that I want to become a Medical Assistant. I applied to many universities, and I got accepted to all of them except CSUMB. It was okay it was not meant to be. I also, applied too many colleges. I was and still, am set on going to Monterey Peninsula College.
Me and my friend Sofia plan on attending MPC in the Fall. I will be majoring in Medical Assistant and getting an associates degree. I have worked so hard to get to where I am right now. I have had some ups and downs, but my senior year has been one of my most influential and most significant years. I have received honor roll twice. I have straight A’s, and I am the happiest I have ever been. I have overcome these struggles of not knowing the material of my new school and moving to a new school, drama at school, and not knowing what to do after high school by allowing myself to talk to my teachers and peers about the material I did not understand. I needed to let that fear of my teacher judging me for not knowing the material go and have them sit there with me and teach it to me. Also, I needed to overcome this fear of moving to a new school, so it can better my health and my education. By doing this, I was involved in some drama and with some negative people that did not want to see me happy and succeed. I showed them in my senior year that I do not need them and that I can succeed without them. I have become a happier and better person. I now know what I want to do with my life and have people pushing me to succeed and follow my goals in life. All of this contributed to my growth as a human because this all taught me some valuable lessons of needing to fall and get back up. I am going to go to college and meet new professors and students. I will have to ask those professors for help or my peers to help me understand this new material and how college works in general.
The biggest takeaways from the Engineering pathway is the Engineering Design Process. That taught me how to explain why I did the projects I did and how I had to do it. It is some steps you take before making your product or design. Also, another take away I took from Engineering was that you are going to make a mistake. At one point, I made three to four mistakes. I did not get the dimensions right when I was making my coaster holder. It does not matter if you make mistakes because eventually you will get the hang of it, and that is how you are going to get better. I learned so much this final year of Engineering. I never knew how to use MasterCAM or SolidWorks. I had to struggle to learn how to make a simple square or circle. I eventually got the hang of it, and I remember having to call Mr. Roach to have him sit right next to me to teach me how to do it over and over again. I felt like this was one of my strongest years in this class. I learned how to use the programs and the big machines in this class. I am so grateful for Mr. Roach for not giving up on me and being there every step of the way.
Some of the biggest takeaways I took from Agriscience are that we should treat animals with respect and humanely. Also, global warming is something, and we should take action before it is too late. It is already too late, but it is now or never. I learn how raising animals inhumanely can be bad for our environment and health. We should let these animals roam freely and not put these gross hormones and chemicals in them. They should not be locked up in these small cages where they can not move or even see sunlight sometimes. In other words, we can stop these big companies from treating these animals so inhumanely. We can take action and not buy food from these companies. We can buy food that says is raised in cage-free or pasteurized.
Another vital thing is global warming. It is happening today and every day. If we do not stop global warming or at least prevent it from happening more, we will not have this beautiful plant that we have. We will get rid of many astonishing and unique animals like polar bears, penguins, fishes, etc. We also, might not be here in the next few years. Global warming causes many big natural disasters, and we could even be extinct. We also, need to take action and protect our planet for our kids and our grandkids' future. I am also, very grateful for Ms.Manabe for teaching me real-world problems and showing me how we should treat our animals and our planet.
In Business and Entrepreneurship, some of my biggest takeaways are that I learned how to manage my money and how to start a business. Also, I learned what a business is and what you need to start and run one. At the beginning of all of this, I did not know anything about how to start or how to run a business. I finally learned that you have to make something that is new and innovative. It has to grab the customers attention, and it should be for every person, not just one specific type of person. You also, have to make your product the cheapest way, but that does not mean that your product needs to look cheap. You want to give your customers the best quality out there. In this class, it taught me to step out of my comfort zone and take risks. By taking this risk, I have been rewarded and have learned so much more. I have learned not to be scared and it's okay to be nervous, but you have to sell it on stage to win it. I have learned so much from Mr. Tennant and this pathway. It's taught me to follow through with my business and see where it takes me. That I do have potential and I am a hard worker.
Finally, in Digital Media, some of my biggest takeaways are that not everything goes as plan, but you can make the best of what you have. I never had to take pictures and edit them before. It was something new and amazing, I learned. Digital Media has taught me to express myself and capture special and unique moments. By doing this, I had to edit and preprocess these pictures to enhance their beauty. I also had to learn how to use Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, and Photoshop. These are programs that help me edit my pictures, which sometimes can be complicated if you never had to use these programs before like me. It took me a while to understand how to use the programs, but I eventually got the hang of it. I feel like I can professionally edit photos for myself or anyone else in need of photos. I learned to take two or three times the amount of photos you are required to take. It might look good on the camera, but when you open it on a big screen, you will see if it is in focus or if something looks weird. Also, Mr. Richards has taught me to be patient and that everything will work out. I need to give it time. He is always there when something is not going as planned or when I cannot figure what else is wrong with my picture. I am thankful for him because now I have this passion for photography and have a different way of expressing myself.
All these pathways have been instrumental in my plans for post-high school, but the business pathway has been even more instrumental. The reason for this was because it helped me learn more about businesses and how they work. I can now help my dad, who owns his business by being more educated on how this industry works. I can help him lower his expenses and make sure he is managing his money correctly. This will also, benefit me when I start working and want to open a small business to make extra money on the side. I will know how to manage my money, time, and expenses.
