I had arrived at Laguardia Airport of New York, but not even the strong heat of that summer, keep me from thinking, on how I did on my sophomore year especially on the Regents. Since my freshman year I have been fighting to be moved up a grade because I wanted to graduate at the same age that my mom and big sister did, at the age of sixteen, but all my teachers told me that it was impossible, that there was no reason for the school to do that and even if there was, it was way too hard to keep up with all the classwork and that not everyone who did it could make it.

I just got up and my heart was almost coming out of my chest. I went into the kitchen to let my mom know that I was going to school, she tells me that she knows that everything will be fine. Every step I make outside my house makes my anxiousness get bigger. When I arrived at my High School the security guard aks my reason to be there and I told him that I was there to pick up my grades.

When I opened the door in the third floor I went straight to a wall where it says Math regents scores I run towards that wall. The grades are set up by the student ID on the left and the grade on the right. I finally get to find my ID number, I place my finger on it and draw it to the right where I see a seventy-eight. A tear came out of my eye but it was not from sadness or disappointment. That tear came from happiness and gratefulness to God for helping me to pass that exam. I have never been so happy about receiving a seventy-eight in my life before. I have never been good at Math but the fact that I almost got an eighty on the Algebra Regents made me feel the happiest person on Earth.

After I got out from my joyful bubble I remembered that I also needed to know my ELA regents score so I knock on the door that is on that same wall and the assistant principal opened it. While I was walking in I saw her getting a big yellow envelope that had written on it  ELA regents test score, I felt like my heart was burning. When she opened the envelope and looked through the paper inside, her facial expression changed from serious to surprise. I honestly felt like I was going to have a heart attack. I asked her what happened and her answer was ‘‘really impressive Amber’’. She showed me the paper where I saw a forty-five and a ninety. I got scared because I didn’t quite understood those numbers and I asked her to explain them to me, she said that I got the highest score of the whole school and that I have a ninety. I started smiling and then I asked her if our agreement was still on and she told me to not go that fast that she still has to look at my grades. At that moment I felt indestructible, I felt that the more time passed the closest I get to my aim. When I looked back at her she was handing me my report card, I looked at it . I only see straight ‘A’s’ even in GYM a got an A. I believe my face was glowing when I looked back at her, she told me that I  she knew I was persistent but that I totally surprise her that time.  that time. Any other day I would have felt offended but that day nothing could bring me down.

I went straight to the school counseling office when I went in, I told the school counselor the news and showed her my report card, .just Just like the assistant principal she was really amazed by my scores. Before she even told me about which credits I have and the ones I needed, she told me that it was not going to be easy and I only had one chance. She told me that once I get out with my schedule made, there was no turning back to eleven grade and that twelve grade was going to be really hard  difficult bfor me because of not having the same knowledge and experience that my future classmates had, .even Even though I take the summer courses as my eleven grade year it was not going to be the same. I was so focused on moving up to twelve grade that I never even notice that there can be consequences, about my desire. I started thinking about the pros and cons of my achievement.  

I ended up noticing that I could graduate a year earlier which was really convenient. Also, I was going to graduate at the same age that my mom and big sister did and I was going to be the youngest graduate on the generation. However,  I could not graduate with my friends, also I would have to work harder than everyone else because my classmates had more experience and knowledge than me. The things that concerned me the most was the fact that I was not going to be with my friends. Even though I might see them in the hallways it was not going to be the same.

That’s when reality hit me hard and I started to remember all the good times that I had with my friends since we graduated from middle school until our sophomore year in High School. Then a thought passed through my mind, telling me that memories and good times in High School would not pay my bills in the future. At that moment I felt that I had to choose between my friends and school. I never imagined I would have to take a decision like that before. But there my mature side came out and reminded me that good times and friends were not going to pay my bills in the future, so I looked up to the school counselor and I told her that  I was sure of what I was doing and that no matter what , I wanted to graduate that year. She got surprised by my determination, then she told me that I would have to take five summer classes and during the school year, I would have to take three extra classes besides my twelve grade classes. I noticed that I was not going to be able to do anything more than study for the next eleven months but it was way better than having to wait two more years to graduate.

The time flew and I find myself in twelve grade, everyone’s shock, no one could tell how I did it. I pass through the hallways and I see my friends amazed by my achievement but also nostalgic because I was not with them anymore. During all  that time I felt that my achievement sent me to a place where I had to take many important decisions that no one my age had to take or even think about. I had to mature before time which wasn’t easy. School consumed my essence little by little turning me into a person that could only do classwork. There was no more fun during my days or good times with friends. There were only important decisions that needed to be made and someone who had to make them. The only thing that did not change was my persistence to prove that I could do anything.

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