When looking back at my 4 years of high school I recognize one common mistake. That mistake comes from my attempt to create my own memories to cherish. If high school has taught me anything, it’s that letting memories make themselves is better than trying to make them by force. Although my years of high school haven’t been the best, I’m glad every now and then I made a couple of good memories through the years.

As a freshman, I was new to Fresno Christian and unsure what to expect. I didn’t have a choice in which high school to attend so I’ll shamefully admit I showed up with an attitude. I’m glad my attitude didn’t reflect my character as I was still polite to students as well as my teachers. I wanted to play football but family and financial situations kept me from joining the team, although I understood. Life was really tough so I wasn’t doing great academically and then quarantine hit.

I’m not gonna lie, while most people were upset about this, I couldn’t have been happier. I got to wake up late, sleep in, cheat on work, eat a lot, and I had a lot of the day to myself. The last couple of months of freshman year just flew by with us being at home and all. 

Although I enjoyed quarantine during school, summer vacation was very boring. There wasn’t much to do with everything being closed and everybody distancing themselves. I was at a point in my life where I was choosing to not surround myself with lots of people so it didn’t take too much of a toll on me. 

Some good news that came out of the summer was that I was going to be able to join the football team for my sophomore year.  Still not being one to surround myself with a lot of people, I was still somewhat excited to be a part of the team. When we received the news that we would not be returning for in-person school until October, I had mixed feelings. Although I didn’t want to be at school in person, I was upset that we wouldn’t get a season. This whole situation taught me to be careful what I wish for. You can pray for the wrong thing so hard, that other bad things can come along once you actually receive it. 

Once we got back to in-person school, the rest of my year flew by just as fast as they said it would. I didn’t consider the year to be a total loss for me as I did great academically, getting only A’s and B’s. Even though I was in a fine place, I just didn’t want to be at Fresno Christian anymore. I lost my motivation for a lot of important things which really caused me to rethink where I wanted to be. The summer after my sophomore year, I convinced my parents that I was old enough to make the decision of where I should be attending school. 

Before starting my Junior year at Bullard High School, I had gotten a summer job and lost a lot of weight. This helped boost my confidence, and I recommend all kids do both of those as soon as possible. That summer taught me that it’s never too early to take your first steps to success. Because of my self-confidence, going to Bullard wasn’t hard for me as I knew people and was doing very well academically. Unfortunately, confidence and persistence weren’t enough to keep me out of trouble.

I wasn’t making the best choices in and out of school. Because of this, my parents made the decision to move me back to Fresno Christian in the second semester of my junior year. It was hard coming back, but looking back now I’m glad that changes were made in my life preventing me from making any more stupid decisions.

Fast forward to my senior year, I was feeling very ambitious for the first time in my time in high school. I put a lot on my own plate as I was working at Mcdonalds, joined the football team, and joined The Feather online. Although I failed many times at it, I did my best to not let any of my forms of work affect the others.

Two articles I am proud of inform readers about the California EV mandate and trade schools as a viable option for graduates. 

I’ve always considered myself to possess writing skills so I didn’t think I would have any problems becoming a journalist for the Feather. It was a bittersweet surprise to figure out that I had a lot to learn. There were times when I didn’t prioritize the class over others, or I showed up tired, but this class did teach me that there’s always time to make up for mistakes.

It is my dream to produce music videos, promote sports events, and do many other things involving promotional media. Although I wasn’t a part of the video team here at the Feather, many of the things I earned will help me in my career. I learned how to ask questions professionally, conduct research on higher scales, and overall dig deeper to get what I need to make things work.

The biggest thing I learned from being on the feather that I will remember for the rest of my life, is doing things halfway isn’t enough. Doing things halfway will get you a mediocre life which is something I don’t want. I will forever appreciate the push I received from Kori James who taught me exactly that. That is my advice to all who want to do high school, work, and sports just halfway. Life is too short to not fully push yourself in everything you try. Putting maximum effort into everything is going to bring you success in life.

In the Fall of 2023,  Enrique will be attending Fresno City College where he will major in business.

For more from The Feather, go to Senior Reflection: Antonio Ruelas.