Timeline of Change Essay Example

School Year 2015-16:

While drinking milk, I was sitting restlessly on the couch. My eyes bouncing between the two headlines: “CNN Breaking News First Democratic Debate Tomorrow” and the countdown to the debate. It was the start of the presidential race, I was 13 years old and I just got into the world of politics.  As I was getting ready for bed, I was anxious about the debate the next day. The following day arrived, and I was sitting in a dimly lit airline seat, looking at an Emirates welcoming screen with the words ICE, “information, communication, and entertainment”. I was on a flight to Dhaka, Bangladesh and I found out that my mentor, teacher, and friend passed away, my father. 

As I returned to America, I was lost in my thoughts. I thought of myself as selfish about how I had an interest in politics, but I could not see any indication of this impending tragedy. I wanted to resolve my guilt. 

I became committed to my studies in order to heal myself. I researched every statistic of the illness that took my father’s life. As a result, I got sucked into an obsession, that I could have prevented the death. However the underlying fact hit me, I can’t. This prompted me to go in a downward spiral, losing friends and myself at one point. 

As I was getting ready to leave school for winter break, my teacher told me to come into his class. I was thinking to myself “yeah he’s gonna give me one of those motivational speeches”. As I sat down, my teacher showed me a picture of his father who he had lost at a young age. He tells me five words that I still remember to this day, “Everything is not about you”. 

The value of those words has helped throughout the years. Staying miserable constantly, will not help me or those around me. Hardships should not define me, it should help me mature and flourish as I go into the future. 

School Year 2016-17:

Freshman year came along and I joined the marching band and tennis team. I created more friendships and joined many clubs. As time passed, I decided to go back to my interests in politics. I joined the political science club and during my freshman year I attended a model congress at the University of Pennsylvania. 

School year 2017-18: 

Sophomore year arrived and I was devoted to my academics. I connected more with people and my teachers. I participated in the March for Our Lives event in Washington DC in March. The event reminded me that even though times can be challenging, keeping your head held high, you can get through them. As the school year ended, I started to become a light-heart person, allowing my pain to build me up and create a better character for myself.. 

School year 2018-2019

Junior year began and I started to genuinely smile not practicing it in front of a mirror. A family friend recommended a book, Ego is the Enemy. I took the book to heart. Ego can hold you back from getting to your true potential. I pushed myself to break myself from the chains of ignorance to become a good-hearted person. As a result, I became elected Band President. Having an outgoing personality allowed me to connect with people, which for me felt like I was becoming a better man. 

Present

Today whenever I see my friends, I give them a firm handshake with a big smile and a little wink. As I got ready for senior year I came to embrace a mantra that my father always did “Be the Best You Can Be”. I will continue to be open-minded, open-hearted, and forever will try to be the best I can always be.