Last Day of Freshman Year

I finished Freshman year on May 22nd. I feel like it was made up of lots of different good and bad moments.

Going to a charter school was a challenge for me for the majority of my life. Besides Lakeview, I've had 1 year of public school. That year was Kindergarten. It's always been really hard for me to be at a school that no one in my ward or neighborhood has gone to. I spent years wishing that others would accept me, even though I went to the "weird" school.

Well I'm here to tell you the truth. Lakeview Academy has been one of the best paths that I've ever walked down. I used to be a really shy and quiet girl. Being at a small school helped me have the advantage of a smaller amount of students auditioning for the musicals. And that lead to lead roles, which led to confidence. I don't think I would have gained that confidence anywhere else.

Lakeview Academy made me who I am. And I love that.

Below is my "twin," Will. I'm so grateful that I took a chance in 7th grade and became friends with A BOY, (yes 6th grade Heather, boys aren't scary) because he helped me so much! Will let me be myself. He let me sing showtunes, and even joined in with me. He was always willing to help me, even though we would sometimes drive each other crazy.

This cute bunch is a small portion of my friends who were in 7th grade. They would tell me that they looked up to me (not physically, of course, most of them are taller than me) which never made sense. I don't know how they could look up to me when they were the greatest examples of kindness and friendship.

Caroline Cochran. There is so much that I could say. Line, we can argue all day if we try. (You're a Red personality, I'm a Blue, it makes sense.) But we can also have the deepest, most heartfelt conversations. Thank you for being there for me at my lowest points. Caroline is a true friend. 

This is Breanna. We became friends this year, and I really regret not being friends sooner. Breanna has the Light of Christ in her. I don't think I've ever heard an unkind word come out of her mouth. I strive to be like her. She has a special kindness inside of her that is rare.

Emma is a wonderful human. There are so many different layers to her. She is such a talented person, and everything she does amazes me. Emma, thank you for pushing me and always helping me achieve my goals. 

This one always brought a smile to my face, and would always say hi to me in the halls. On my worst days, his cheery attitude would lift me up. HI COLIN! 

Parker Field made this year not just bearable, but wonderful! He definitely taught me new ways to look at things and better ways to view myself. And laughter really does cure anything!

Jaxson and Seth made everything exciting, of course. They both have little ways of helping me cheer up. I told them to do a superhero pose, but now that I think about it, there were definitely days that they saved me.

So many people taught me so many lessons this year, and it's hard to explain how grateful I am for everyone. I'm thankful for every day that I got to spend at Lakeview, and I'm also thankful for each person that I met, and for all of the differences each person made in my life.

Now it's time to cheer that one door has closed, and the door to WESTLAKE THUNDERRRRR has opened! There are so many experiences that I can't wait to have. Thank you to everyone.