Acknowledgements

     I remember a time when I couldn’t clearly write anything of value or depth, and I remember thinking that I couldn’t make a change in it at all. Although I’m not a perfect writer by any means now, I believe that I’ve still come a long way from before. Even though I never realized this, every time I sat down and read, analyzed, and wrote, there were all small steps that contributed to my way of expressing ideas through English. But it also makes me realize that I could’ve never achieved this level of excellence without the guidance of my teachers and peers, who have done a lot more than they think.

    My journey as a writer started in the 10th grade, where I took a leap of faith and took on 10 honors English. At first, this class demotivated me as I realized how inferior, blunt, and boring my work was compared to the other students in my class. This class was taught by Ms. Parks, whom I would like to thank first. Ms. Parks’ class was a difficult one, and I often got mad because all my friends had different teachers and were bragging about how easy their class was. But Ms. Parks’ strict grading and difficult class were the reasons I improved. An event that I’ll never be able to forget was getting my first in-class essay graded and seeing how atrociously I had scored on it. There are many ups and downs one has to face in order to achieve success—this was mine. But this dip in my performance helped me rise back even more. It was in this class that I understood that writing is more than just spreading information or transferring ideas but to capture the attention of someone and to engulf them by showing instead of telling—to encapsulate someone and to connect with them on a personal level. In this class, I also got used to writing and reading regularly, activities that I disliked but had to put up with. Ms. Parks’ class also had an interesting quote on the wall: “A comfort zone is a beautiful place to be, but nothing ever grows there.” This quote accurately described my experience in her class, as it was out of my comfort zone, and it’s one of the primary reasons I grew as a writer. Even though I struggled in this class, I persisted, and it was definitely a necessary step that I had to take and an obstacle that I had to overcome to further enhance my writing. Looking back now, I’m glad I decided to take English as an honors class and not regularly because of the essential things I learned that I would’ve missed out on.

    As 10 honors English came to a close, my journey as a writer continued on in 11 English AP. At first, I was hesitant to take this class because of the trouble I had with 10 honors English and didn’t know if I had it in me to work even harder to fulfill my goals. But I made the decision to prioritize my learning over getting grades, and I knew there wasn’t any harm in attempting to improve my education. Now, I’m glad that I took this class, as Ms. Valentino was able to enhance my craft and style through all the activities we did. At the beginning of the school year, I was already beginning to stress out because I had homework from this class every day. But I would like to thank Ms. Valentino for doing this, as it only exposed me to more forms of writing, which showed me how writing cannot be monotonous but can be filled with variety. I really enjoyed reading books like The Great Gatsby, Sweat, Maus, and the short stories we read as well. This class taught me to apply my knowledge not just in English and literature but in other forms of writing and media. For example, The Great Gatsby is a book filled with a lot of motifs and symbols that were expressed just through words. But it made me realize that books like Maus, written in comic form, can contain as many literary devices and details as traditional books can. Ms. Valentino’s choice of giving us differentiating books improved me as a reader, where I was able to identify many details, and I also started finding motifs and symbolism in movies—a skill that I learned from English class. This class was still a challenge for me; however, with Ms. Valentino’s guidance and lectures, I was able to develop my craft as a writer when it came to in-class essays. I also thank Ms. Valentino for not restricting us to only book questions and essay prompts but letting us freely write journals and blogs. These small assignments have gone a long way in letting me express my creativity and try out different writing styles, which overall have improved my style as a writer. Before taking this class,it was sometimes hard for me to believe that I even wrote those essays, suggesting how my writing was in the past. With what I learned in 10 honors English and through Ms. Valentino's help, I was really able to elevate my writing skills in 11 English AP.

    I would also like to thank my classmates who gave me eye-opening advice when it came to writing, one of them being Arnav Chittiprolu. It feels as though I only worked with Arnav this whole school year, but I’d like to report that during partner-writes and other activities, I learned more about writing style from him and learned how to approach pieces differently. I would also like to thank the occasional commenters on my blog who offered praise and constructive criticism, for which I am also grateful. It would be an understatement to say that I improved as a writer because of all these people, because the impact they’ve had on my growth cannot be explained by a few words. I now believe that even in the hardest times, the help and advice one can receive from others, like I did, can really make a difference.