These last four years have truly been a life-changing experience. From a childish freshman not only at school but also at home, to a still sometimes childish senior, one who knows when and how to control himself. This school and its teachers have taught me so many lessons that will not soon be forgotten. You can probably imagine how nervous and maybe even a little fearful I was on my first day at Barstow High. Coming from the Hinkley School, which contained about four hundred and fifty students at most, it was not very easy to get used to a large crowded hall in Barstow. I still remember how nervous I was that first day; my upper lip trembled as I asked a monitor in the room where row five hundred was. In the middle of that year my cousin, who is like a brother to me, decided it was time for him to move to Phoenix, Arizona, accompanied by his newlywed wife. and try to make a living there. His leaving really hit me hard, I was pretty close to depression. During that time I preferred to keep my mind busy and as a result my grades increased by almost forty percent. Math is not my favorite subject at all, but for the first time in my entire life I can say that I really enjoyed it and couldn't wait to go to my first period math class, I got the highest grade in that particular class for that semester. For the rest of the school year, after overcoming all my problems, I would simply go to school, do my homework, come home, finish my homework, and do some chores around the house. The next two years went by relatively quickly, I don't know. remembers a lot. However, I remember two teachers who helped me get through the second year. One teacher who had a lasting impact was my history teacher, Mr. Duarte… mid-paper… how I would ever join the Army. After that trip I'm seriously considering joining the Coast Guard because I like what they do and it's a great opportunity. Another thing I enjoyed this year was the Winners Circle project which involved talking to underclassmen and inspiring them to do their best on the CSTs. I enjoyed going into the classrooms and sharing some experiences and answering their questions. But the fun part was going to deliver water bottles to students who were due to take tests and it all paid off when I felt we had really made a difference. No matter what problems I had during these four years, I am truly happy to have had this experience which taught me so many valuable lessons and helped me experience that feeling of helping other people..