I’ve been recording my youth once a week for the last few months, and I have finally come to the last week, where I’ll talk a little about my memories from high school.
My 17th birthday
School
My family moved during my sophomore year, so I went to two high different schools. I think the biggest disappointment of my high school career was spending an entire year as the underdog on campus, and then moving to a school that started in 10th grade. I had to spend another half a year as the youngest at school.
As much as I loved California and my school there, I thrived at my new high school in Oregon. Not only did I meet some fabulous friends, but I immediately got involved in the counseling office – something that changed my entire high school focus and almost effected my future career choice.
One of my most vivid memories of my classes in high school was when my 9th grade English teacher handed out the textbooks for the semester and I recognized the book from 6th grade. My 6th grade teacher had told our class that we were “really advanced” and doing “high school level work” but I had honestly thought she was trying to make us feel good about ourselves….. Until I saw our book in my high school English class.
I did well in school and liked it for the most part. School was easy for me. I graduated with a 3.82 GPA and was accepted in the first round to the only college I applied to (BYU).
Friends
Sometime before my 10th grade year, my family found out that we would be moving to Oregon. Since I have always been a reserved and introverted person, I was not thrilled about investing a lot of time in building new relationships when I could be moving out of state any day. What we thought was an “any day” move turned out to be a 6 month wait, and we didn’t leave for Oregon until April. I spent the first half of my sophomore year hanging out with old friends who had changed more than I liked. The fact was, they were doing things I didn’t want to be involved in but I didn’t know how to start over.
Luckily, I was able to meet some incredible friends in Oregon, and spent the next 2 1/2 years going to dances and parties and sleep overs and just hanging out with the most positive, uplifting group of friends I could have hoped for. I had a huge crush on one of the guys in our group (the secret is revealed in the dance pictures below). We were very good friends but nothing ever came of the crush.
Seminary
In 9th grade, I started attending early morning seminary at church. I woke up long before the sun and my mom dropped me off at another family’s house, where I hopped in their dad’s old bare-bones jeep to go to the church together. As hard as it was to get used to being somewhere at 6 in the morning (and being coherent and dressed for the day) I loved seminary. When I moved to Oregon, they had a building right next to our school that we were able to use for mid-day seminary classes. Gone were the days of waking up at 5:00! I never complained. I ended up being asked to be the class president (over 6 classes) in 12th grade.
The Counseling Office
Since I moved to Oregon in the middle of the year, I was put in the counseling office during an empty hour as a helper there. I clicked so perfectly with all of the counselors, as well as the head secretary, Hazel, that I signed on to help out in the counseling office for the rest of high school. I was even hired as a summer employee at the school and was in charge of reorganizing and cleaning up the school’s entire collection of transcripts. When a college or employer or former student called in, I was the one in charge of locating, copying, and administering the official school stamp. Then I would send the transcript off to the requester. I loved the responsibility. Hazel called me a few times while I was at college to ask where she could find certain things–that’s how well I knew that office.
It was while I was working in the counseling office that I decided that I would like to study to become a guidance counselor. It only took me a year in college to realize that that was not something I wanted to do…..but the fact that I chose guidance counselor as my first official career choice is a testament to how much the counselors meant to me.
What are some of your memories from high school?
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I consider our move a great blessing. It was a good learning and growing time for me.
Heehee! I too see the resemblance, but she’s not a clone, that’s for sure. She often reminds me more of my sister. :)
Thank you! I really was grateful for our Oregon experience. My parents moved back to CA shortly after I graduated, so I always felt like that move was just for me. :)
Life takes priority. Or it should. :) If only I could get organized enough to write a post about keeping the priorities. Seriously, most of the time I feel like I’m blogging by the seat of my pants! LOL (it’s good to hear from you!)
I was shy, too, but the move was a good one for me. I came out of a lot of my shyness during high school.
How great that your move to Oregon worked out so well for you, both with your friends and with your counselors. Being naturally reserved, it could have been very difficult. Good for you!
Hey look I recognize you and also KitKat! It must be the age. And that boy…pretty cute! :)
You made the most of your opportunities in Oregon, great! The experience and all that you learned in the counseling office is wonderful. Nice photos throughout.
I can tell we went to high school at exactly the same time (wink wink) I have missed you too. I have just been so busy with real life I haven’t made the time to blog. Although I miss it I realized I had to get my priorities squared away! You should do a series on that because obviously you have it all figured out!
It’s awesome how much your counselors meant to you! And I’m so glad we didn’t move in high school, I was so shy back then I think I would have just spent the second half with no friends at all!
What a great week back:-)