Here is a reflection piece I wrote on this past year at UC (it was written for potential News Record publication):

            Two years of high school, and I was done. I’d had it, and I was all too ready to go to college. So off I went, taking three placement tests and enrolling at UC in August, 2006, in the Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Program (PSEOP). By joining UC as a high school junior at age 16, I could attend classes full-time, on a state grant, earning credit towards both high school and college. I planned to graduate early from high school, and had to calculate my credits exactly, as it would take 7.5 college credits in any subject to earn one high school credit (don’t ask me why they do it that way), and I had to earn just the right amount in every area to graduate from Lakota East High School.

            When I discovered the program, I was past all the Spring deadlines, but that didn’t stop me. With my habitual persistence, I made the right calls, drove downtown from the West Chester area, and made sure to cover all my bases before Fall Quarter started in September. That quarter, the flexible class scheduling at UC allowed me to have class only Tuesdays and Thursdays. With all the free time to myself, I could do homework when I wanted, workout when I wanted, and have a social life when I wanted. As a high school workaholic, I finally felt free from the confines of being educated from 7:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. I could sleep in on my days off if I wanted to, and I could still attend my high school extracurricular activities, like Multicultural Club, or Junior State of America (debate team). I was overjoyed that I could, essentially, tailor my education to my desired lifestyle.

            By the time Winter Quarter hit, I had class Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. And, by the time Spring Quarter came around, in a crunch to achieve all the desired credits for graduation, I attended class from Monday to Thursday, taking seven classes, including three 500 level (graduate level) courses. Sometimes I was at school from 9 a.m. until 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. on a Tuesday or Thursday, when I had five classes. I had a license, but no car, and had to wait until my mother could come get me. She owns a ballroom dance studio in West Chester, and teaches in the evenings; just my luck, sometimes I had to wait three hours to leave, after my last class ended at 7:45 p.m. But hey, at least I had extra study time, right? Ultimately, I suppose staying so late those days was tiring, but helpful.

            In Spring Quarter, by some crazy chance happening (again, don’t ask), I was left to try to pass my seven classes with no internet at home. I don’t know if anyone in their right mind would have continued to take seven classes in such a predicament, but I had no choice; I wanted to graduate on time. So I spent many, many minutes staring at my laptop screen while on campus, attempting to access blackboard, do research, or handle e-mails, just trying to do as much as possible before the internet was no longer available. I was also in pursuit of a career in the entertainment industry all year, and juggled sporadic recording sessions, phone calls from my manager, and more recently, reviewing and editing contracts. As a health nut and a dancer, I made sure to keep my workout regimen going at the CRC, at home, and at my former gym. I spent every possible weeknight watching The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch on CNBC, one of my favorite TV shows, found some time to read books that interested me, and tried to maintain a healthy social life in addition to my studies.

            A handful of all-nighters, many assignments, and nine months later, and I did it. I graduated from high school May 31^st, and now all I have left to do is take a quick exam for a health class I took through correspondence all year, to fulfill the high school credit requirement. After Monday, June 16^th, I should be receiving my high school diploma, and I’ll be ready to attend college in NYC this August. I plan to receive a business degree from Parsons the New School for Design, majoring in Design & Management, while continuing to pursue my abilities in music, dance, acting, and writing. I met so many different people at UC this year, and although I do not plan to graduate as a bearcat, this university will always be special to me.

            You see, before I found out at PSEOP, I was so unhappy in high school that I was ready to finish my diploma through the American School of Correspondence. The school, based out of Illinois, is often the choice program for extra busy high school students, military kids, or those who continuously travel or work in sports or the arts. It essentially would have allowed me to complete my high school studies through the mail. But because of UC – and a special thanks to my guidance counselors and Todd Jones, the UC administrator who helped me enter the program – I was able to attend school where I could be happy.

            Until starting at UC, I had never been so engaged my academic experience, and I had never felt like I fit in so much in my life. The diverse student population made me feel right at home; I love different things, and different people, and I always keep an open mind. I learned about so many subjects, and saw how interconnected they were. In Spring Quarter alone, I took two classes in political science, two in journalism, two in science, and one in art philosophy. With every class I took at UC, I felt more educated about how the world works. And, with every person I met or place I went, I loved the new freedom I felt: You look out for yourself in college, there’s no one reminding you to do what you need to do. You can be as self-sufficient as you want, and you’re not being constantly monitored. I loved it; I could achieve academically, and do it my way.

            I will miss UC, although I am prepared to move on to another phase of my life and stretch my potential. But no matter where I go, I will always be grateful that I had the opportunity. I will always take pride in the work I did here, and I will always remember what a great learning experience it was to personalize my education. I’m definitely happy that I went to UC as a high school student; I’m more sure of myself now than I’ve ever been, and proud of myself for persevering past the academic and personal challenges of the year. The classes opened my eyes, and the year of education I received gave me many intellectual tools to build myself now and in the future. I’m definitely ready to keep succeeding for the rest of my life.

            As I sit here making it through exam week, on my final day of testing, I think I should take a minute and write this down: I walked in my high school graduation on Saturday, May 31st. That walk came after some indecision; I originally told the guidance office that I had no desire to walk; I hadn’t placed the same significance on it as other students usually do, I barely knew half the people I would walk with (because I am in the junior class, not the senior class), and I would have rather been working on an essay that was due this week. But they did fit me in eventually – I had my cap and gown, but the guidance office must not have received the information - and they added my seat last minute at the very back right, and I was the very last name to be called. Nonetheless, I “graduated” (although I use that term loosely, and you shall see why momentarily).

            It was “fun,” I suppose, but it didn’t give me that feeling of finality, didn’t allow me to breathe the sigh of relief most others could. I left the ceremony knowing I still had  two more weeks at UC. And I sat there, listening to the names of those who achieved various levels of academic achievement, never being recognized for spending my entire third high school year in college. I know someone else at UC who is also a high school doing PSEOP full-time, and her school didn’t even want her in the graduation program.

           Put yourself in our shoes for a moment - you have to admit that it’s less than desirable. We do something that’s totally impressive academically, and it’s under the radar. She agreed that we deserve some recognition – we are working ourselves like crazy, and the school doesn’t even nod our direction. I heard no “this student has been taking full-time classes at UC this entire year, and was involved in multicultural club and debate team, and is being recognized,” and I wish I had been. But, as I start to look back on what I have accomplished this year – and this quarter, with my seven classes including three graduate level – I feel immensely proud of myself. Still, it would be nice if the high school policies should had communicated a similar sentiment towards students like myself who pursue higher education early. It may not be this hugely widespread activity, but if you are taking full-time, I’d say that’s important and worthy of the attention of all those people viewing your graduation ceremony, who smile and cheer for the high school achievers.

            Hey, a GPA of 4.75 is pretty impressive, and those with such high merits earned my respect – but I did feel a bit ignored. My high school only called my name, and allowed me in the ceremony. I hope that students pursuing similar studies in the future attain more of a mention. However, I did not take it personally – but I was disappointed. I expected better from the institution that helped me take this opportunity in the first place. I have to admit, I felt like a martyr, a lone explorer, an army of one. But, in all fairness, few people in the administration knew the extent of my studies, and they are busy people. And, I’ve experienced being a bit unrecognized before – as many driven achievers have, I’m sure. I’m not phased by that; Still, I do hope that future participants in the program get recognition, because it’s not easy, and I think it deserves an honorable mention, no matter who you are.

            I took my walk, and I smiled in some pictures with close friends – that is, up until I couldn’t take it anymore and had to go because that essay was seriously on my mind - among other things, like my empty stomach. It was one long ceremony, and even our “senior theme” was “All This Hassle for a Tassel.” But forget the ceremony, it was beside the point when I had exam week coming up. High school graduation would have to wait to sink in. I’ll feel my emotion when I get my diploma, and when my last UC exam is finished. I’ll feel all that pride that most people feel at graduation weeks a few weeks later. But at least I know I’m on to bigger and better things. I can’t wait to go to Parsons, I can’t wait to record music this summer, keep dancing, keep reading, keep learning, and keep growing.

            I went to two years of high school and went straight to college. And I’ve done very well this year – especially considering much of the extremely stressful events that I had to endure in my family life. The achievement is enough for me. I don’t have to get a shout out at graduation. I just have to keep going, as I’ve done all my life, and all year at UC. I’m ready to move forward and do great things, and I’m excited about the future. The gravity of my accomplishments is starting to sink in – and you know what? It’s starting to feel really good.

            The outcasts. The academics. The rockers. The slackers. The skateboarders. The immigrants and the international, English-as-a-second-language crowd. The jocks. (Still with me?). The urban-styled crew, of usually African, Spanish, or mixed racial descent. The clique-ish girls who traveled in groups of four or more. Those with eclectic tastes. The rebel noncomformists. The extracurricular achievers. The high-energy talkers. The techies. ETC. You know what I mean - that was high school. For many, those teen years were either about expressing yourself and being outrageously different, or in some cases, being boxed in and limited. (As involved as I was in high school, I felt that I was in the latter group, and that’s why I went straight to college early).

            But even as high school allowed so many personalities to be displayed, it still felt like a limiting box to me. Why? Well, it was the same academics, jocks, rockers, etc., every day. College is way more interesting, because most people have refined who they are and have become more interesting and complex, and also because many people have outgrown some of their rebellious high school image creations (if they were, indeed, creations). But even though everyone is striving towards a similar goal of higher education, a college campus is a more diverse place of personalities and groups. There are many organizations to represent many different people and causes, and there are many different hang-out spots that attract different types.

            Now, with that said, I must get to one of the lessons I have learned, in observing campus diversity. All my life, being involved back and forth in the ballroom/dance world and then in normal Midwestern life, I have seen firsthand the importance of being able to relate to different people. College has reinforced my ability to do this. I have enjoyed the social experience at the University of Cincinnati because I have seen my own success in making friends with different types of people. The young journalists who write for the News Record aren’t the same as the people you meet in Linder (the College of Business); the students of the school of Design, Architecture, Arts, and Planning (DAAP) have a certain vibe about them, as do those who spend their afternoons in the AACRC. Now, that’s not to say that anyone I meet can really be boxed into one “type” or personality “vibe,” but it does mean that school has tested me as an individual to be able to jump from place to place, from person to person, and still make friends no matter where I go. That’s largely what the social experience of college has been about, for me: meeting many different people, and still being able to relate and fit in well in all the different settings, all the different social milieus that share the sense of college camaraderie.

            I like to pride myself on my ability to fit in with different people, but I’ve seen the value of this skill at UC. As I get more and more interested in good marketing, branding, and business, I see that that effective products and brands relate to different audiences well. Google has mass appeal, as do Apple, Ikea, and Starbucks. According to Mintel, a leading marketing firm, those are the four most effective brands in the world. I can appreciate niche-marketing, but I also personally know that if I want to create great companies, I’m going to have to be able to capitalize on niches while also understanding branding on a bigger scale. Good marketing and sales (and we’re all technically salespeople in our daily lives) includes understanding human nature, regardless of self-expression, and it requires good people skills. What better place to practice your people skills than in a big place like a college campus? Good business is about knowing how to be relatable in your brand, and as someone interested in entering the entertainment business, I know that I’ll have to understand and use that information.

            Honestly, I could relate so much of what I learn back to business, because I have a passion for building ideas, but the point is that truly developing good people skills requires practice. And, I have seen that encountering many different personalities is a great way to practice these skills, by communicating well and engaging with those you meet. It’s important to be who you are, being comfortable in communicating your own personality, while also being able to understand other people who are different from you. It’s not just something that happens – it’s a skill you develop, and educational environments are often very conducive to developing that skill.

            Knowing how to relate to different types of people, with different tastes, will serve me well in the future. I’m thankful that I have had the opportunity to experience and refine this skill in a diverse college environment, and I’ll continue using it in my personal and professional life.