The first high school I attended, my fellow readers, was the illustrious Academy. It is a college prep, Catholic high school that does not allow tardiness. Though I had a lot of superficial acquaintances, I did not have many "real" friends, except Anne G, whom I will forever be grateful to. As a minority student among a sea of preppy white kids, I really struggled to fit in.
Although in looking back, the Academy prepared me today to be okay when I'm with a crowd of people who are much different than me, stylistically and racially. The funny thing is: I am connected with some of my old Academy classmates via facebook. They are mostly 30, married, and settled down with kids. I, on the other hand, chose to blaze a different and more independent trail. I am confident that rarely any of them lived on the West coast, got an internationally oriented graduate school degree, and/or spent a fun urban existence in Manhattan like me.
At the start of my junior year, I transferred to one of the best college prep schools in Chicago, which could be easily mistaken as an office building in Lincoln Park. As the "new kid", my high school experience helped prepare me to be able to adjust socially post college in several "new cities," ranging from Boston to L.A. Although I only really had two close friends, Jenny and Cara, they helped me navigate the cliquey hallways. We clung onto each other in survival mode.
Although in looking back, the Academy prepared me today to be okay when I'm with a crowd of people who are much different than me, stylistically and racially. The funny thing is: I am connected with some of my old Academy classmates via facebook. They are mostly 30, married, and settled down with kids. I, on the other hand, chose to blaze a different and more independent trail. I am confident that rarely any of them lived on the West coast, got an internationally oriented graduate school degree, and/or spent a fun urban existence in Manhattan like me.
At the start of my junior year, I transferred to one of the best college prep schools in Chicago, which could be easily mistaken as an office building in Lincoln Park. As the "new kid", my high school experience helped prepare me to be able to adjust socially post college in several "new cities," ranging from Boston to L.A. Although I only really had two close friends, Jenny and Cara, they helped me navigate the cliquey hallways. We clung onto each other in survival mode.
No comments:
Post a Comment