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Elizabeth Moreno

Mrs. Schenck

ERWC Online

10 Feb 2023

Reflection

I am most proud of an essay I wrote during my Junior Year AP Literature class. This

essay was titled the “Gatsby, Raisin, Death, Fences Essay,” this name was derived from all of the

readings we did throughout the year. Though I may not remember exactly what the prompt was, I

can infer that the prompt was about adversity throughout their society and how the characters

from the text fought against this adversity. I believe that my essay answered the prompt very

well, using evidence from the novel, A Raisin in the Sun. I used this evidence to depict how the

characters in the novel fought against the prevalent racism in 1950’s America as African

Americans. I also described how the women of the family are faced with constant misogyny

from society as women, even from the men in their own family. By speaking about how the

family fought against their societal issues I was able to develop my essay quite well, in my

opinion. Through this essay I gained confidence in my writing and was able to develop my

writing skills, especially with my choices of evidence. Overall, I believe that my “Gatsby, Raisin,

Death, Fences Essay” was a huge stepping stone for me as a writer and I am most proud of it, out

of my previous work.

School has always come fairly easy to me. In turn, my grades have remained mostly the

same throughout my high school career. Through looking at my transcripts, there are only A’s

and B’s. Throughout my first year of high school, I had straight A’s, but I was attending a

different high school at the time. Sophomore year, I had a B in AP Language and Composition.
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This class was difficult for me, as I had never taken an AP class before and this was an entireoly

different learning environment for me. I’m proud of myself for even getting higher than a C in

that class. During my junior year I had a lot more B’s, second semester especially. These B’s

were in AP Literature, Psychology, Physics, and Precalculus. Even though I enjoy reading, AP

Literature didn’t come too easy for me. I read recreationally, so my analytical skills aren’t the

best, but since this class they have heavily improved. I only had a B in Psychology first semester,

but I gained a lot more knowledge and was able to achieve an A second semester. Psychology is

very fascinating to me, so it wasn’t hard to put in the effort. Physics was very difficult for me and

I didn’t try as hard to learn second semester and that got me a B. As for Precalculus, it was very

easy for me and I did well on tests. Though because it was so easy for me, it wasn’t my main

focus and due to outside factors, I got a B. This year, I have tried my best to put in the most

effort I can and that has resulted in me having straight A’s first semester. I wish to continue that

this semester, to end high school on a high note. Even though I’m haven’t been a completely

straight A student, I am proud of the effort I have put in to improve and grow academically.

Though, there are still many things I need to improve upon.

As I head into college, growth is inevitable. This growth is a continuation of my high

school growth. As of now, I struggle with asking teachers for help and for feedback. Feedback is

extremely important for growth, but I always seem to avoid asking for it. As for my work ethic, I

need to learn to put in 100% of my effort, whether or not I do not believe a class is hard. It is

those easy classes that get neglected and lead to grades that could have easily been higher. I hope

that I will be able to achieve these goals and grow as a student. It is easy to forget how important

growth is. Even after I complete my goals, I wish to continue growing in other aspects of my life.
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I aspire to use college as an opportunity to explore more about myself. Though, I have learned

quite a bit about myself by being a Great Oak student.

Throughout my time at Greak Oak, I have matured in countless ways from academics to

personal growth. I first began my journey at this school in 2020, sophomore year. It was during

the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and I had to learn to adapt to a new environment, without

being able to go anywhere. It was difficult to make friends and the work was more arduous than

my previous school. Over the course of my sophomore year, I was able to learn to maintain

healthy work habits, as there was no one there to remind me when assignments were due.

Although I was unable to mature in other aspects of my life, academically I was heavily

influenced during sophomore year. As junior year rolled around, classes were now in person and

it was a whole new environment. Being new to an online school, much different from real

school. I didn’t know anybody and was forced to mature as a person, gaining a new sense of

confidence. I used this confidence to join clubs and make friends that have stuck by me. Now as

I continue through my senior year, I feel extremely prepared for my future. Great Oak has taught

me a great deal about perseverance, friendship, and who I want to be. Through the classes I have

taken to the friends I have made. I am glad to been able to make many memories at Great Oak,

even if it wasn’t exactly the most conventional high school experience.