Calm, Cognitive, Consistent
The Initial Letter – Section 1
This upcoming year, I am really excited to finish it off strong and improve myself once more and be a leader for the last time in this program (which is bittersweet honestly). This year honestly doesn’t feel real because, as the cliche goes, the time just flew by. I remember freshman year Zoom with Morty and the crew and being a scared little Asian boy. Now I’m all grown up and facing the real and tough world. It feels like my adolescence has already depleted itself and I am already an adult even though I clearly am not. But as we enter this school year, I am ready to make an impact on the class, but not in the way Niki Nguyen did or Naomi or Makenzie. I want to show that there can be leaders that can be dedicated to their academics while still excelling at the program. I want to display and lead other people like me to find their path to success -- I honestly love helping people that actually want to learn something and are not there just to be there. When I see passion, it drives me forward, and I honestly hope I can see that in this class, because in full honesty I did not throughout my other three years. This year for me time-wise will be the most difficult in my life thus far, but I am ready to tackle it. 5 APs and leadership is not a task for the normal student, but that won’t stop me from excelling. I want to simultaneously work on my body through the gym everyday, find time to work and study, work a job on the weekends, prepare for track and compete in it, and much more. I have so much that I am looking forward to, so much to achieve, but with not enough time. I have some lingering thoughts that are saying that this should have started earlier, but it really couldn’t have due to my stomach and mental growth. I am happy I am as passionate as I am now, and I am ready to tackle senior year and life in general with a smile on my face and a pencil in my hand. This program is just another stepping stone this year towards more self-improvement and becoming a better person in character. That has been one of the hallmarks of my mentality recently, to become a more kind, thoughtful, and happy person, and I am actually happy with that. I am not treating learning like a chore, I actually love to do it. I love to learn new concepts, go at a fast rate, and challenge myself. I love this world, I love leadership, and I know I am going to love next year.
This upcoming year, I am really excited to finish it off strong and improve myself once more and be a leader for the last time in this program (which is bittersweet honestly). This year honestly doesn’t feel real because, as the cliche goes, the time just flew by. I remember freshman year Zoom with Morty and the crew and being a scared little Asian boy. Now I’m all grown up and facing the real and tough world. It feels like my adolescence has already depleted itself and I am already an adult even though I clearly am not. But as we enter this school year, I am ready to make an impact on the class, but not in the way Niki Nguyen did or Naomi or Makenzie. I want to show that there can be leaders that can be dedicated to their academics while still excelling at the program. I want to display and lead other people like me to find their path to success -- I honestly love helping people that actually want to learn something and are not there just to be there. When I see passion, it drives me forward, and I honestly hope I can see that in this class, because in full honesty I did not throughout my other three years. This year for me time-wise will be the most difficult in my life thus far, but I am ready to tackle it. 5 APs and leadership is not a task for the normal student, but that won’t stop me from excelling. I want to simultaneously work on my body through the gym everyday, find time to work and study, work a job on the weekends, prepare for track and compete in it, and much more. I have so much that I am looking forward to, so much to achieve, but with not enough time. I have some lingering thoughts that are saying that this should have started earlier, but it really couldn’t have due to my stomach and mental growth. I am happy I am as passionate as I am now, and I am ready to tackle senior year and life in general with a smile on my face and a pencil in my hand. This program is just another stepping stone this year towards more self-improvement and becoming a better person in character. That has been one of the hallmarks of my mentality recently, to become a more kind, thoughtful, and happy person, and I am actually happy with that. I am not treating learning like a chore, I actually love to do it. I love to learn new concepts, go at a fast rate, and challenge myself. I love this world, I love leadership, and I know I am going to love next year.
Part I: Favorite Quotes – Section 2
“It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life — daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answers to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.” - Viktor E. Frankl
This quote came from one of the first books back to recreational reading for me, and I love the story Frankl writes about during his time as a WW2 POW in multiple concentration camps. The difference between the men that survived and the men that fell victim to death was love and action. First, love comes through finding the people that keep you going in life. Wives, husbands, children, family, friends. Anyone that these people could latch on to (even though they knew they were already gassed) they did, and that put one foot in front of the other and allowed them to survive another day. In addition, what mattered was what they did in the micro, what they did in each given moment. Their lives may be horrible, they may be hungry, but the actions they take determined how much longer they were able to survive. And wrapping this back around to leadership and my life, I want to choose my actions based on what the given moment is requiring of me. I want to be defined by my actions, never my environment, so by making the correct actions I am able to live a purposeful life driven by positive action.
“To fall in love with the world isn’t to ignore or overlook suffering, both human or otherwise. For me anyway, to fall in love with the world is to look up at the night sky and feel your mind swim before the beauty and the distance of the stars. It is to hold your children while they cry and watch the sycamore trees leaf out in June. When my breastbone starts to hurt, and my throat tightens and tears well in my eyes, I want to look away from feeling. I want to deflect with irony or anything else that will keep me from feeling directly. We all know how loving ends. But I want to fall in love with the world anyway, to let it crack me open. I want to feel what there is to feel while I am here.” ― John Green
This quote was right after Viktor E. Frankl’s book in The Anthropocene Reviewed. Green throughout this piece goes on about the trials and tribulations of life, what is amazing about it, what he experienced, and what he ultimately gained from it in his 50+ years of living. This quote is especially relevant within the novel because how how many hard times he has gone through. No matter how many times his books got turned down, when life did its rounds with him, he loved and still loves life. Life isn’t always great, it isn’t always terrible. But what life is is a combination of things that make us uniquely human. Within my life, I sometimes had the perspective that I could try to mitigate as much negativity in my life as possible; this is not referring to bad friends or similar topics, but how I felt at every given moment. But to realize then embrace that life isn’t perfect, the hard times become a lot less hard and you are able to sulk in each moment, whether good or bad. Life is oh so amazing, but it is frankly amazing because of how great and terrible it can be at the same time.
“Beauty is rarely soft or consolatory. Quite the contrary. Genuine beauty is always quite alarming.” - Donna Tartt
This quote by Donna Tartt comes from a lengthy novel about a particular group of students that end up killing one of their own and trying to hide it. That is not necessarily relevant, but I thought I would put that in because it was crazy reading that. What I find from this is that beauty is not found in the normal ways that most people think (of course we are neglecting physical beauty). But beauty to me comes from good action, good character, and good decisions. People that go against the grain of social norms to pursue what makes them happy. The beauty of staying in on Friday nights, working out twice a day, eating healthy and studying hard. Doing the tough things that the people who aren’t dedicated enough won’t do. The people that drink every weekend, have no self-discipline, and aren’t striving for their goals are the same people who won’t push themselves to the limit every day. To distinguish yourself from the crowd in this modern age takes a lot more than in just a decade prior, and to do that you need to do what others won’t. By being a great person, by choosing to do what makes you happy and pursue it each waking second, you become beautiful. I want everyone in this world to become beautiful, but that comes first from my own actions
“It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life — daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answers to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.” - Viktor E. Frankl
This quote came from one of the first books back to recreational reading for me, and I love the story Frankl writes about during his time as a WW2 POW in multiple concentration camps. The difference between the men that survived and the men that fell victim to death was love and action. First, love comes through finding the people that keep you going in life. Wives, husbands, children, family, friends. Anyone that these people could latch on to (even though they knew they were already gassed) they did, and that put one foot in front of the other and allowed them to survive another day. In addition, what mattered was what they did in the micro, what they did in each given moment. Their lives may be horrible, they may be hungry, but the actions they take determined how much longer they were able to survive. And wrapping this back around to leadership and my life, I want to choose my actions based on what the given moment is requiring of me. I want to be defined by my actions, never my environment, so by making the correct actions I am able to live a purposeful life driven by positive action.
“To fall in love with the world isn’t to ignore or overlook suffering, both human or otherwise. For me anyway, to fall in love with the world is to look up at the night sky and feel your mind swim before the beauty and the distance of the stars. It is to hold your children while they cry and watch the sycamore trees leaf out in June. When my breastbone starts to hurt, and my throat tightens and tears well in my eyes, I want to look away from feeling. I want to deflect with irony or anything else that will keep me from feeling directly. We all know how loving ends. But I want to fall in love with the world anyway, to let it crack me open. I want to feel what there is to feel while I am here.” ― John Green
This quote was right after Viktor E. Frankl’s book in The Anthropocene Reviewed. Green throughout this piece goes on about the trials and tribulations of life, what is amazing about it, what he experienced, and what he ultimately gained from it in his 50+ years of living. This quote is especially relevant within the novel because how how many hard times he has gone through. No matter how many times his books got turned down, when life did its rounds with him, he loved and still loves life. Life isn’t always great, it isn’t always terrible. But what life is is a combination of things that make us uniquely human. Within my life, I sometimes had the perspective that I could try to mitigate as much negativity in my life as possible; this is not referring to bad friends or similar topics, but how I felt at every given moment. But to realize then embrace that life isn’t perfect, the hard times become a lot less hard and you are able to sulk in each moment, whether good or bad. Life is oh so amazing, but it is frankly amazing because of how great and terrible it can be at the same time.
“Beauty is rarely soft or consolatory. Quite the contrary. Genuine beauty is always quite alarming.” - Donna Tartt
This quote by Donna Tartt comes from a lengthy novel about a particular group of students that end up killing one of their own and trying to hide it. That is not necessarily relevant, but I thought I would put that in because it was crazy reading that. What I find from this is that beauty is not found in the normal ways that most people think (of course we are neglecting physical beauty). But beauty to me comes from good action, good character, and good decisions. People that go against the grain of social norms to pursue what makes them happy. The beauty of staying in on Friday nights, working out twice a day, eating healthy and studying hard. Doing the tough things that the people who aren’t dedicated enough won’t do. The people that drink every weekend, have no self-discipline, and aren’t striving for their goals are the same people who won’t push themselves to the limit every day. To distinguish yourself from the crowd in this modern age takes a lot more than in just a decade prior, and to do that you need to do what others won’t. By being a great person, by choosing to do what makes you happy and pursue it each waking second, you become beautiful. I want everyone in this world to become beautiful, but that comes first from my own actions
Part II: Quote –Section 3
“Don’t be complaining that you have too much on your plate if your goal was to eat” - AU. I believe that this quote represents who I am as a leader because I believe I have put a lot on my shoulders because I have wanted to do so. I don’t believe that I have complained about this too much, but I set out this year to make it the best that it could be, and I agree that I have fully done so much to set out this year to be a great one. I believe that this quote is important because us as leadership students have a lot on our plate, because we want to. We do these things, we help the people around us and this community and fill our plate because we feel like it. The reflection is important because we need to evaluate ourselves for what we have as our workload, and this can make an impact on the future because we need to be teaching our future leaders what they are getting themselves into. For the new leaders of this high school, we need to establish that they will be packed, and if they choose to do them, they must accept and thrive in the environment they chose.
“Don’t be complaining that you have too much on your plate if your goal was to eat” - AU. I believe that this quote represents who I am as a leader because I believe I have put a lot on my shoulders because I have wanted to do so. I don’t believe that I have complained about this too much, but I set out this year to make it the best that it could be, and I agree that I have fully done so much to set out this year to be a great one. I believe that this quote is important because us as leadership students have a lot on our plate, because we want to. We do these things, we help the people around us and this community and fill our plate because we feel like it. The reflection is important because we need to evaluate ourselves for what we have as our workload, and this can make an impact on the future because we need to be teaching our future leaders what they are getting themselves into. For the new leaders of this high school, we need to establish that they will be packed, and if they choose to do them, they must accept and thrive in the environment they chose.
Part I: Goals – Section 4
Goals for Leadership:
Goals for Leadership:
- Make a lasting impact through my elder project and actions within the class
- Become a better compassionate leader through learning and emulating the current ones
- Continue the drive of Junior year in academics to reduce stress and be extremely successful
- Hit goal weight and maxes for the gym and hit goal times for the track season
- Work consistently to become a better person and scholar in mind and in practice
- Be a role model for everyone that I meet and be able to teach lessons to others and learn lessons from them
Part II: Goals – Section 5
Goals for Leadership:
Short-term goals:
Long-term goals:
Goals for Leadership:
- Make a lasting impact through my elder project and actions within the class
- Become a better compassionate leader through learning and emulating the current ones
Short-term goals:
- Continue the drive of Junior year in academics to reduce stress and be extremely successful
- Hit goal weight and maxes for the gym and hit goal times for the track season
Long-term goals:
- Work consistently to become a better person and scholar in mind and in practice
- Be a role model for everyone that I meet and be able to teach lessons to others and learn lessons from them
Part I: People Magazine Cover –Section 6
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Part II: People Magazine Article – Section 7
This year is an incredibly special year because it is a culmination of all of my hard work, time to reflect and change, and ability to show out when it really matters. Of course senior year is important because it is my last year in high school, ever. But I’m not focusing on that portion because I’ve always known this year will come, ever since 5th grade. I remember saying that the rest of middle school will fly by, my sister will go off to college in no time, and I will graduate myself. And here I am, standing before my senior year; it is honestly bittersweet knowing all of these people I have built up relationships with, but I am happy that it happened. Starting my freshman year, I was a scared little kid, not knowing what I was capable of. And boy did I change as a person, and I am so glad I did. I quit video games, quit TikTok, workout and focus on my body, stay academically challenged and rigorous, focus on leadership and all of its components, and am genuinely happy to where I have come. I am so excited for the entirety of the year: Homecoming, Winterfest, AP exams, my last fall and spring semester, my last of most things. I love how far I have come, I love everything I have done, everything that I have learned. I am so incredibly proud and appreciative of myself and everyone who has supported me to fulfill my dreams. It is not easy to chase after your dreams, yet all the “work” I have to do becomes more and more fun by the day, I am becoming less and less burnt out, and I am honestly enjoying life. Leadership is going to be one hell of a year; I’m going to give my all to this end-of-the-year video, to Homecoming, to my classmates and friends. This year will be the best one yet for me, I know it :)
This year is an incredibly special year because it is a culmination of all of my hard work, time to reflect and change, and ability to show out when it really matters. Of course senior year is important because it is my last year in high school, ever. But I’m not focusing on that portion because I’ve always known this year will come, ever since 5th grade. I remember saying that the rest of middle school will fly by, my sister will go off to college in no time, and I will graduate myself. And here I am, standing before my senior year; it is honestly bittersweet knowing all of these people I have built up relationships with, but I am happy that it happened. Starting my freshman year, I was a scared little kid, not knowing what I was capable of. And boy did I change as a person, and I am so glad I did. I quit video games, quit TikTok, workout and focus on my body, stay academically challenged and rigorous, focus on leadership and all of its components, and am genuinely happy to where I have come. I am so excited for the entirety of the year: Homecoming, Winterfest, AP exams, my last fall and spring semester, my last of most things. I love how far I have come, I love everything I have done, everything that I have learned. I am so incredibly proud and appreciative of myself and everyone who has supported me to fulfill my dreams. It is not easy to chase after your dreams, yet all the “work” I have to do becomes more and more fun by the day, I am becoming less and less burnt out, and I am honestly enjoying life. Leadership is going to be one hell of a year; I’m going to give my all to this end-of-the-year video, to Homecoming, to my classmates and friends. This year will be the best one yet for me, I know it :)
Role Model – Section 8
My role model is Sr. Saenz, the man who inspired me my freshman and sophomore years in his class and continues to display what a good person should be like. Sr. Saenz and I’s relationship first started in his Spanish I class my freshman year; I desperately wanted him for Spanish I because of what Avery told me about his class. And little did I know, I was put into his one period of Spanish I, and that I believe completely changed the trajectory of my life. On the Spanish side, it made me fall in love with language learning and Spanish culture. I was able to work hard to be able to communicate and connect. But more importantly Sr. Saenz showed me how to become a great person. As mentioned in some of my other portfolio pages from this year and years prior, one of my ultimate goals is to become a great human being, and especially in the area of being a father in the far future. When I have kids, I want to be able to become a great person for them to look up to. I want to be an amazing person to be able to find a woman that I can raise kids with, and pass my legacy of life onto more. And with that Sr. Saenz has shown me how great fathers can be. From showing all of his sophomore year a montage of his children’s sports skills, what he does to help them learn English and Spanish, and how supportive he is, he really inspires me to become better. He just gives off so much proud energy whenever he talks about his daughters; he’s not afraid to show that he cares, not only about his students but about his children. Born in a toxic-masculinity era, Sr. Saenz has shown that men can be caring, men can be awesome dads while still holding the traditional “masculine” traits. He goes above and beyond for his family and his students, and he honestly pushes me, even if I don’t have his class, to become a great person and work on myself so I too can become like Sr. Saenz.
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Inner Animal… - Section 9
I believe that my inner animal this year is a coyote, for both its representation in the biological community, its meaning in Native culture, as well as its qualities. Within Indigenous culture, the coyote is believed to be an animal that represents joy and happiness in addition to teaching us to let go of our fears and insecurities. This summer and year is going to be amazing, not just because it is my senior year; I am on the brink of improving myself as much as the small bubble of Ripon will let me. I have truly dug down and disciplined myself in my daily habits, am learning so much and excelling, and each day I am becoming better physically, mentally, and in character. I am proud of the things that I am doing each day, no matter how hard they are, because becoming the best at what you do isn’t easy, whatsoever. Within the ecological community, the coyotes are a hunter and seek after what they want. In that same regard, I am hungry for more. No matter how much progress I have made (albeit I am very proud of how far I have come), there is more I can do. Not in the perfectionist way, but in the way of wanting more out of myself. I know everyone isn’t perfect, and they never will be, but why not pursue that anyways for the hell of it? I am ready to work my butt off this year to finish out strong, prepare myself for college and the real world, and give it a run for its money when I am out of here. The coyote is ready to do whatever it takes to live, to succeed. I am so happy to be able to determine my future and not be held back by my environment, I am so happy to live a fulfilled life, I am so happy I can live another day. I am a coyote this year, and every year after. Every day I will be a coyote, and I hope everyone else is too.
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Part I: The Best Things About Me – Section 10
Part II: The Impact of Sound & Words –Section 11
This song “I” by Kendrick Lamar represents me because of the mental, physical, and emotional struggles high school has brought that I have fought in the background. This song exemplifies going through tough times, having everyone wanting to see one’s failure. And in that regard, I feel like for most of my academic career I was expected to be perfect and people were rooting against my success. To be fair, the world always bets against you, but at some points it really got to me. In addition, going through my self-improvement journey really isn’t easy when the things I want to get out of are convenient, easy, and fun to do. To improve yourself and go against the grain means doing things that you don’t want to do, and passing on your legacy takes lots and lots of work. I have had a lot of failures, as the song mentions, but that does not stop me from trying again, trying harder, and continuing to move forward everyday. Lastly, I would like to emphasize that the background “I love myself” has been a lingering presence recently. I have loved what I am, what I have been doing, and what I will continue to do, and am so proud of how far I have come. Life is just getting started, and that means this lovely awful journey will continue on and on, with all of the highs and lows coming when they naturally do.
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Homecoming Activities Photo Gallery – Section 12
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What I Like Best About Being a Member of Leadership – Section 13
Throughout the year thus far, my three favorite memories have been the mornings and lunches in Morty’s office, running music for rallies, and during Homecoming at Ava Brocchini’s house with Deep, Allie, and Katie. Although I haven’t been as active with outside activities this year, as I have focused more on working on my studies, applying for colleges, and filling out scholarships, each morning and lunch period I enjoy the peace (until like 8:10AM) and the environment of Morty’s office. While I used to be in Ms. Van Vuren’s room most of the time, it had been getting far too noisy; many people were in there talking in a loud manner, and when I made the switch it was nice. I am able to work, study, or just relax each morning and it really sets it on a nice tone. In a way it is like a mini meditation session just having the pure peace and quiet before the school day starts each time. Second, whether it be during set up, the rally itself, or after, I just love running music. I believe that music is an integral part of who I am; the emotion that it can produce and convey, the joy that it brings, and so much more I just adore about music. And when I am able to share that with the school and classes during setup and setdown, it makes me feel very happy inside. Music within technology was really made for me, and I am glad I am in this position. Last, one of the weekends during HOCO I helped out Ava and the senior officer team paint and sketch parts that would be on our float. While I wasn’t the biggest help and was limited by my sketching abilities, it was very fun to just talk with everyone and have the time together to share what’s going on in our lives and so forth. That kind of time together I enjoy so much, and I hope this continues throughout the second semester.
Throughout the year thus far, my three favorite memories have been the mornings and lunches in Morty’s office, running music for rallies, and during Homecoming at Ava Brocchini’s house with Deep, Allie, and Katie. Although I haven’t been as active with outside activities this year, as I have focused more on working on my studies, applying for colleges, and filling out scholarships, each morning and lunch period I enjoy the peace (until like 8:10AM) and the environment of Morty’s office. While I used to be in Ms. Van Vuren’s room most of the time, it had been getting far too noisy; many people were in there talking in a loud manner, and when I made the switch it was nice. I am able to work, study, or just relax each morning and it really sets it on a nice tone. In a way it is like a mini meditation session just having the pure peace and quiet before the school day starts each time. Second, whether it be during set up, the rally itself, or after, I just love running music. I believe that music is an integral part of who I am; the emotion that it can produce and convey, the joy that it brings, and so much more I just adore about music. And when I am able to share that with the school and classes during setup and setdown, it makes me feel very happy inside. Music within technology was really made for me, and I am glad I am in this position. Last, one of the weekends during HOCO I helped out Ava and the senior officer team paint and sketch parts that would be on our float. While I wasn’t the biggest help and was limited by my sketching abilities, it was very fun to just talk with everyone and have the time together to share what’s going on in our lives and so forth. That kind of time together I enjoy so much, and I hope this continues throughout the second semester.
A Reflection of a Peer in Leadership – Section 14
The person that I want to highlight in this section is Alana Jones with her taking over the photography for this class. Even though it is her first year in the program, she has excelled at everything that she has done. So when Morty asked her to do this, I was honestly surprised because I know how much work it is; yet she just said yes to it and didn’t skip a beat. She has sacrificed so many mornings, lunches, and so forth to take the photos, let alone edit them. She spends odd times in classes retouching up images and editing them, and it is so special given the fact that this might be people’s only professional-like headshot they will have in their career. It costs hundreds of dollars to do this outside of this, and her not only spending the time and energy but making them look good is something that I am really proud of and shows her unselfishness. I have not gotten mine yet, yet I already know they will come out great, and I for sure know that I am going to be using them all throughout college and my professional career. |
RHS Pride Photo Gallery – Section 15
What I love to do… - Section 16
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What I love to do would include running my clubs, technology/doing my job as a technology commissioner, learning math and other STEM subjects, track, and hanging out with my friends. First, whether it be Scrubs Club, or now also Environmental Club and Red Cross Club, I love being a part of a club and doing something for the student body. During last school year, I really enjoyed being able to educate about the different pathways for our members, being able to donate over $500 to breast cancer research, as well as combatting fast fashion with the Clothes Drive and Clothes Swap. What we can do on a small scale is just a foreshadowing of the impact we can make on a larger scale. Second, I have really enjoyed the technology position in ASB besides the whole Mac fiasco because capturing fun moments as well as compiling an amazing video by fusing my love for music and technology is something I am really looking forward to producing this year. Third, I really have embraced learning and everything that comes with it. To lay down at the end of the day and know you have become a better person than when you started is something so gratifying that can’t really be replaced with anything else. Fourth, track is another example of how much I love to push myself. That sport is extremely mentally heavy and exhausting, and when it comes down to it the difference between sprinters is their mindset and dedication to the sport. Finally, when I do have time, hanging out with my friends is always something I enjoy. To work hard then relax, not worrying about any assignments or anything like that is something you can’t replace. Friends make hard times a lot easier, and I am forever grateful for them. Overall, I am extremely grateful and thankful for what my life has succumbed to, and the future is definitely looking bright.
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Letter to Parents – Section 17
Dear Mom and Dad,
The final year. It is sad to see my entire childhood whiz by in a flash, but you probably already felt that when Avery left for college. I can still remember playing with the Gonzalez’s, making movies with Troy, playing tetherball then reluctantly taking a nap. My life up until this point has been amazing and I could not and would not wish for anything else than I have already been given. I remember as a little kid Dad saying that he would have college paid off for us, and all we need to do is work hard and get good grades. Well Dad, I did it. My whole life has been dedicated to ensuring my future, doing everything in my power to succeed, and I have done it. Although I am not planning to become a doctor like you, I will become successful and not fall into the 3rd generation of failure trap that happens most of the time. I will work my butt off, stay up late and work early into the morning if I have to, all to make sure your work as a parent paid off. I couldn’t have been supplied with more; I was given everything I needed to succeed, all the resources, the books, the toys and more, and I am so grateful that I could decide my future. Mom, thank you for what you do on the day-to-day basis. Making home-cooked meals every night isn’t the most fun thing in the world, especially if you have to shop, clean, wash, and much more every single day. It is so reassuring that I know I would never want it differently, never wishing for a different past because of what you have done for me. Thank you for always providing for me, always giving to me, always being there for me. My life has just started, but it has got to one hell of a start these past 17 years because of you guys and you guys only. Thank you once again, and love you lots.
Sincerely,
Spencer
The final year. It is sad to see my entire childhood whiz by in a flash, but you probably already felt that when Avery left for college. I can still remember playing with the Gonzalez’s, making movies with Troy, playing tetherball then reluctantly taking a nap. My life up until this point has been amazing and I could not and would not wish for anything else than I have already been given. I remember as a little kid Dad saying that he would have college paid off for us, and all we need to do is work hard and get good grades. Well Dad, I did it. My whole life has been dedicated to ensuring my future, doing everything in my power to succeed, and I have done it. Although I am not planning to become a doctor like you, I will become successful and not fall into the 3rd generation of failure trap that happens most of the time. I will work my butt off, stay up late and work early into the morning if I have to, all to make sure your work as a parent paid off. I couldn’t have been supplied with more; I was given everything I needed to succeed, all the resources, the books, the toys and more, and I am so grateful that I could decide my future. Mom, thank you for what you do on the day-to-day basis. Making home-cooked meals every night isn’t the most fun thing in the world, especially if you have to shop, clean, wash, and much more every single day. It is so reassuring that I know I would never want it differently, never wishing for a different past because of what you have done for me. Thank you for always providing for me, always giving to me, always being there for me. My life has just started, but it has got to one hell of a start these past 17 years because of you guys and you guys only. Thank you once again, and love you lots.
Sincerely,
Spencer
Your True Legacy l General Advice l The Letter – Section 18
Dear Mr. James Wilkins,
You have a lot on your plate going into this year, because you are the only one with any sort of experience in this position, and with that difficulty, I have some words of advice for you as you move forward. First, when people don’t get their work done. Even though it happened again this year, as it did the year before in this position, it is just something that you have to adapt to. It is going to take a lot. And I mean a lot. Of patience with these people, and a lot of no-BS calling out of people. Make sure that you set hard deadlines for people getting certain portions of the video done. Schedule recording on the date that is sooner rather than later, because life will just hit you and you won’t have any time. For the Dude Be Nice Gratitude Video, after the class discussion, start emailing them right away, CC Morty, send her calendar invites and remind her the day before so you for sure have a room to do the recording. Make sure you remind the other commissioners that they need to charge the camera before switching hands, because a dead camera is just dead weight. If you want to do the Positions Video, start that with your team during the summer with brainstorming and planning every detail out, make room in the class agenda, and get on it ASAP. Speaking of which, make sure you have at least 2-3 meetings, and that is at least, because your team is new. I would recommend sharing all of your knowledge, having them do their own research on editing (and once again check in on them, because most of the time they won’t do it) and get ahead. Senior year is an absolute beast, and I know that you are going to be unnaturally busy, so please try to get ahead whenever you can. Also, with music and transitioning, please do not be afraid to contact me during the summer (I leave in like late September) if you have any questions. Please steal all the songs you want off the playlists, set the vibe for each rally, and you got this.
Dear Mr. James Wilkins,
You have a lot on your plate going into this year, because you are the only one with any sort of experience in this position, and with that difficulty, I have some words of advice for you as you move forward. First, when people don’t get their work done. Even though it happened again this year, as it did the year before in this position, it is just something that you have to adapt to. It is going to take a lot. And I mean a lot. Of patience with these people, and a lot of no-BS calling out of people. Make sure that you set hard deadlines for people getting certain portions of the video done. Schedule recording on the date that is sooner rather than later, because life will just hit you and you won’t have any time. For the Dude Be Nice Gratitude Video, after the class discussion, start emailing them right away, CC Morty, send her calendar invites and remind her the day before so you for sure have a room to do the recording. Make sure you remind the other commissioners that they need to charge the camera before switching hands, because a dead camera is just dead weight. If you want to do the Positions Video, start that with your team during the summer with brainstorming and planning every detail out, make room in the class agenda, and get on it ASAP. Speaking of which, make sure you have at least 2-3 meetings, and that is at least, because your team is new. I would recommend sharing all of your knowledge, having them do their own research on editing (and once again check in on them, because most of the time they won’t do it) and get ahead. Senior year is an absolute beast, and I know that you are going to be unnaturally busy, so please try to get ahead whenever you can. Also, with music and transitioning, please do not be afraid to contact me during the summer (I leave in like late September) if you have any questions. Please steal all the songs you want off the playlists, set the vibe for each rally, and you got this.
Do’s and Don’ts List – Section 1
DO: Set a hard deadline from each officer team to get music in and approved before all events for content checking and audio quality.
DO: Have them send it through gmail so it is easy to navigate during the games. Create a folder in gmail for easy access and sharing.
DO: Start everything early, even when it seems like you have time, because you never do.
DO: Communicate with Admin, Morty, etc. beforehand when needed to make sure all parties are in agreement before anything happens.
DO: Send Morty infinite Google Calendar invitations and text message reminders the night before, where she will see at 4AM.
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DON’T: Let people ask you to mix music for them or have you do any part of the music. It is their job to do it, you have more important things to do.
DON’T: Say “it’s okay” when people don’t get things done on time or do something impromptu. You shouldn’t have to suffer because of their lack of preparation, and by doing this they will be discouraged to do this the next time.
DON’T: Allow the other tech commissioners to do whatever they please. They are new, and direct them around because they can’t and won’t take initiative since they don’t know how it works.
DON’T: Let Morty push you into too many responsibilities. This job is highly intensive in general time-wise, and with extracurriculars, college applications, and senior year it’s a lot to handle, so don’t burn out with extra responsibilities.
DO: Set a hard deadline from each officer team to get music in and approved before all events for content checking and audio quality.
DO: Have them send it through gmail so it is easy to navigate during the games. Create a folder in gmail for easy access and sharing.
DO: Start everything early, even when it seems like you have time, because you never do.
DO: Communicate with Admin, Morty, etc. beforehand when needed to make sure all parties are in agreement before anything happens.
DO: Send Morty infinite Google Calendar invitations and text message reminders the night before, where she will see at 4AM.
-----
DON’T: Let people ask you to mix music for them or have you do any part of the music. It is their job to do it, you have more important things to do.
DON’T: Say “it’s okay” when people don’t get things done on time or do something impromptu. You shouldn’t have to suffer because of their lack of preparation, and by doing this they will be discouraged to do this the next time.
DON’T: Allow the other tech commissioners to do whatever they please. They are new, and direct them around because they can’t and won’t take initiative since they don’t know how it works.
DON’T: Let Morty push you into too many responsibilities. This job is highly intensive in general time-wise, and with extracurriculars, college applications, and senior year it’s a lot to handle, so don’t burn out with extra responsibilities.
The Contact List –Section 20
Contact 1: Mrs. Sylvia Ochoa (Ripon Sober Grad)
[email protected]
[email protected]
(209)602-4293
301 N Acacia Ave, Ripon, CA 95366
Contact 2: Mrs. Alisha Vaschè (VP RHS)
[email protected]
301 N Acacia Ave, Ripon, CA 95366
Contact 3: Mr. Keith Rangel (Principal RHS)
[email protected]
301 N Acacia Ave, Ripon, CA 95366
Contact 1: Mrs. Sylvia Ochoa (Ripon Sober Grad)
[email protected]
[email protected]
(209)602-4293
301 N Acacia Ave, Ripon, CA 95366
Contact 2: Mrs. Alisha Vaschè (VP RHS)
[email protected]
301 N Acacia Ave, Ripon, CA 95366
Contact 3: Mr. Keith Rangel (Principal RHS)
[email protected]
301 N Acacia Ave, Ripon, CA 95366
The Professional – Section 21
Two things that our class worked on this year would be resume/cover letter building and the lesson recently about accountability. Within the resume/cover letter, resources were given to us and Morty walked us through the dos/don’ts of resumes. The key lesson taken out of this, at least for me who has seen this many times, is that you really can’t predict exactly what your employer or hiring manager wants. Some may want it in color, others not. Some want a 2-page resume, others strictly 1 page. Some want it on resume paper, others on regular. So when going into a job, the key thing is to ask. And I do believe that this revolves around everything it is to be a high-functioning adult in this society. People don’t ask, and then people don’t get. As for the accountability talk, it was a discussion that will greatly impact us in the workspace. The key question was “are you proud of your work?” and a discussion on what we should do/how we should handle members that aren’t doing their job. Even though I feel that I do my job, and that to a high standard, there is always something to learn. And within this lesson, I learned that the people who want it, the people who you can trust, set themselves a path to success. Most of us do have the opportunity to be successful, we just don’t help our future selves through today’s action.
Two things that our class worked on this year would be resume/cover letter building and the lesson recently about accountability. Within the resume/cover letter, resources were given to us and Morty walked us through the dos/don’ts of resumes. The key lesson taken out of this, at least for me who has seen this many times, is that you really can’t predict exactly what your employer or hiring manager wants. Some may want it in color, others not. Some want a 2-page resume, others strictly 1 page. Some want it on resume paper, others on regular. So when going into a job, the key thing is to ask. And I do believe that this revolves around everything it is to be a high-functioning adult in this society. People don’t ask, and then people don’t get. As for the accountability talk, it was a discussion that will greatly impact us in the workspace. The key question was “are you proud of your work?” and a discussion on what we should do/how we should handle members that aren’t doing their job. Even though I feel that I do my job, and that to a high standard, there is always something to learn. And within this lesson, I learned that the people who want it, the people who you can trust, set themselves a path to success. Most of us do have the opportunity to be successful, we just don’t help our future selves through today’s action.
Change – Section 22
As I go into this last part of the year, it comes with mixed emotions. I don’t doubt that this comes from it being my senior year, it being my fourth year in the program, or the wide variety of ups and downs with this class. Before going into the hard moments, I want to express gratitude for all of the good moments. The endless laughter, the silly jokes, the bonding while doing projects, the sheer amount of people and connections I got. I really would not be where I am without this program, and that isn’t to butter anyone up. I truly am grateful for this program, the people, and Morty. As for a time where there was struggle, it was more of a constant lingering of a lack of work, a lack of trust, and a failed mentality. As I mentioned in the class discussion about accountability, some people want to do the least to no effort and experience the benefits of the program. And we simply cannot afford that. If Ripon High was like bigger schools, where there were five periods of leadership, then maybe we could get buy. Some people are not pulling their weight, others are picking it up. But in this small of a class, we had to have dedication across the board, and it never got there. And although it is disappointing, it is nothing I nor Morty could change. It is the person. The person (more like people) that don’t want to change, that don’t want to do the work, and don’t want to receive the feedback that they are given. And so the change I would like to see, whomever reads this (thank you entire class for reading my portfolios the entire year) that your actions and your mentality come down to your decisions. I, of course, will not be in the class next year, nor the next, nor the following. And to be honest, I won’t think about the state of the class nearly as much as I do now. I will have bigger and better things, not to discount it, but I still want each person in here and that will be here to improve. We are so talented, we are so high-achieving, but to fall short hurts my heart. So for all of you reading my portfolios before doing yours, please take each day as a day to improve yourself, to help tomorrow’s self out, because you truly are amazing, and I know you can actualize your goals with just a little boost, a little more effort, each day :)
As I go into this last part of the year, it comes with mixed emotions. I don’t doubt that this comes from it being my senior year, it being my fourth year in the program, or the wide variety of ups and downs with this class. Before going into the hard moments, I want to express gratitude for all of the good moments. The endless laughter, the silly jokes, the bonding while doing projects, the sheer amount of people and connections I got. I really would not be where I am without this program, and that isn’t to butter anyone up. I truly am grateful for this program, the people, and Morty. As for a time where there was struggle, it was more of a constant lingering of a lack of work, a lack of trust, and a failed mentality. As I mentioned in the class discussion about accountability, some people want to do the least to no effort and experience the benefits of the program. And we simply cannot afford that. If Ripon High was like bigger schools, where there were five periods of leadership, then maybe we could get buy. Some people are not pulling their weight, others are picking it up. But in this small of a class, we had to have dedication across the board, and it never got there. And although it is disappointing, it is nothing I nor Morty could change. It is the person. The person (more like people) that don’t want to change, that don’t want to do the work, and don’t want to receive the feedback that they are given. And so the change I would like to see, whomever reads this (thank you entire class for reading my portfolios the entire year) that your actions and your mentality come down to your decisions. I, of course, will not be in the class next year, nor the next, nor the following. And to be honest, I won’t think about the state of the class nearly as much as I do now. I will have bigger and better things, not to discount it, but I still want each person in here and that will be here to improve. We are so talented, we are so high-achieving, but to fall short hurts my heart. So for all of you reading my portfolios before doing yours, please take each day as a day to improve yourself, to help tomorrow’s self out, because you truly are amazing, and I know you can actualize your goals with just a little boost, a little more effort, each day :)
The Ideal Leader – Section 23
An ideal leader in my opinion is the correct action in mind, in choice, and in practice. A leader in my mind is someone who dedicates themselves to their team, whether that be the RHS students or any other situation. They need to inspire, to delegate, to motivate, and to most importantly show as a role model what is expected of them. A leader is someone who also dedicates themselves to improving their lives each and every day. Not only do they carry a huge burden with their team, but they can’t be at a plateau in their own lives. Discipline, consistency, responsibility, and much more traits are the ones that are exhibited by a true leader. A leader in this program is someone who can pull their weight and more, be great outside of the classroom, and someone who is a great person. Leaders, both in this program and out, need to make the right decisions. Of course we aren’t perfect but we do the right action through the little things, through picking kindness or deciding to help someone out when they see struggle. Leadership is about integrity, about grit, and about choice. You can choose to be a leader when you wake up, but everyone doesn’t do it for a reason. For events on this campus, you need to be constantly working on it, getting homework done on time and well, and having a great attitude. Things aren’t always going to go your way, you aren’t always going to win, but it is how you move from it determines how much of a leader you are. If you are disrupting other classmates, joking around and not paying attention in class, and not giving your best effort, are you really a leader? Because leaders come in all shapes and sizes, but they most importantly respect each other and work hard individually and in conjunction.
You – Section 24
Future
Your Projects (Multiple Pages)
gratitudeprojectvideo.pdf | |
File Size: | 1252 kb |
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