ArsalanA

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As my high school career nears its end, it’s easy to want to forget how it all started. And what an embarrasing start it was.

There’s not much to say about freshman year other than the fact that I was awkward and geeky as they come, and I had no social life whatsoever and no hobbies one of my only pastimes was going to shows of small bands, and I became friends with a band that at time was playing shows in tiny little clubs – Paramore. Going to shows was an escape for me during my first few years of high school, as I met so many new friends and musicians outside of the narrow constraints of the Green Hope student body. The rest of my time was extremely academically focused, and I had straight As. uhhh yeah straight As. I miss those.

Freshman year otherwise really was uneventful until the summer of 2007, when I started my first big design project - recreating my backyard. With my only restriction being a budget, I drew up plans that would soon turn out to be a huge project that would consume almost all of my free time over the next two years. I designed and oversaw the construction of a new irrigation and lighting system, a koi pond with a twenty foot stream and five waterfalls, a patio and fire pit, stone terraces, and an amphitheatre. To this day that is probably the one accomplishment I am most proud of. Junior was at the same time the worst and best year of my life. The first semester started out as completely overwhelming. I began to become extremely involved in and outside of school. At Green Hope, I joined Key Club, National Honors Society, Muslim Student Association, Spanish Club, Photography Club and Environmental Club, while I began tutoring students, volunteering at my mosque, and working at the family restaurant outside of school. At the time not getting all A’s in all of my AP classes seemed like the end of the world to me, but that changed second semester. I feel like around October of 2008 was when I really started to enjoy life for the first time in a long time. This is most likely due to the newfound balance in my life between the academic, personal, and social aspects of my life. For the first time, I didn't care that I wasn't at the top of my class -- I was having fun. In October, I bought my first professional camera. I also volunteered with the Obama campaign and met several friends from around the world that I still keep in touch with today. 2009 was by far the best year of my life so far, and I believe that I formed memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Senior year was a blur. So much going on. I finally learned to cope with the stress of so many involvements in and outside of school. I became passionate and deeply involved in my three biggest interests of music, photography, and architecture, taking close to 7,000 pictures since I got my camera, drawing up designs for various things. Much of my time was spent building up a portfolio for the College of Design at NC State - my dream school. I ended up being one of 40 lucky people accepted into the school of architecture, finally on my way to fulfilling a dream I had had since first grade. Looking back now to four years ago, I don't feel like the same person at all. The change -- internal and external -- doesn't even seem possible for me. It's been an amazing four years.