Hooks High School 2024 Senior Perspective
In the words of Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda, yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift, which is why it is called the present. HooIn my long four year's of high school, I learned to appreciate the day I was given and take control of my destiny. However, I didn't always know how to be disciplined, and it was because of the past that I learned how to. It all started my freshman year, the year of the pandemic, and like many others, my mentality got completely switched. I became more sluggish and lazy, with a complete lack of drive. I was failing classes and receiving grades I had never seen before. I wasn't just lazy and unmotivated; I was an actual clown. I wasted class time to joke, and I did not take class seriously at all. It got to the point that I was completely lost as to who I was. I needed to find a way to change my mindset, so I found something to look forward to, and that passion was athletics.
I started high school as an epileptic, and my family had written off my chances of participating in sports, because I seemed to lack the ability to not seize at least once a year.
It was my epilepsy that led to me setting my first actual goal in life. I used this newfound motivation to build self-improvement in my character, and it was through this development that my teachers saw my true potential as to what impact I could bring to my life, school, community, and peers. I finished the school year by passing every class and mastering every STAAR test.
My sophomore year, I entered high school with a completely new personality. I was driven, and I did achieve my goal of being seizure-free for one year. On top of that, when we chose our schedules, I decided to challenge myself and asked to be put into the debate class. Through my joining the debate team and athletics, I discovered something in myself that I didn't know I had: passion. I found out when I participated on the speech and debate team that I had a natural speaking ability that interested people and commanded the audience with my use of logic and reasoning. That year, I learned and instilled discipline in my education and life, and I have athletics and debate to thank for that. The coaches taught me to always do my best, no matter how bad the road gets. I keep that value with me to this day. I then used this value to finish sophomore year with some accolades. I received three top-five placements in debate, and I vowed to be better in athletics and make the varsity football team. I finished my sophomore year with a new competitiveness and unlocked my true potential.
My junior year was going to prove it. At the start of the year, I discovered my love for competition. Both my teachers and coaches noticed this drive in me. My debate coach even named me team captain because I had shown strong leadership skills in the classroom.
Through debate, I had not only figured out that I had passions but that I was actually quite the teacher. It was through being a leader that I discovered my love of serving the community, and I made it my mission to serve and represent Hooks, Texas. The best way I knew to achieve this was by winning as many competitions as possible. I joined UIL academic teams, I made the varsity football team, I joined the newly added FCCLA organization and made it to state in its first year. On top of that, I was the secretary of the organization. I knew my mission would serve its purpose, and so did the community. Without their love and support, I couldn't have possibly received my first-ever state medal in debate. I finished my junior year with a total of 22 medals and helped three teams place in the top 5 in the district for speech and debate. Along the way, I also helped many of my peers become better speakers and improve themselves.
At the end of my junior year, I found out I had been accepted into one of the most competitive leadership camps in Texas—Subiendo. To make it even more exciting, the camp would be hosted at my dream school, the University of Texas. It was there that I truly grasped the value of networking and discovered my ultimate dream: to become President of the United States. Because of the values that Hooks has instilled in me through community service, I have come to believe that this seemingly unattainable goal is entirely feasible. I have come to realize that my ultimate goal is to lead and serve our country as a man of the people. I learned how to come out of my shell through Subiendo, and I started making a ton of new friends in Texas from all different backgrounds and cultures. I had finally opened my eyes to what my destiny was supposed to be, and if it weren't for this experience, I would have never discovered this about myself. After camp, it hit me that it was about to be my final year in high school—my final year as a hooks hornet.
Suddenly, I found myself in my senior year, and the stress of college applications began to consume me. I was writing essay after essay and applying for scholarship after scholarship. The past began to haunt me. I started receiving rejection after rejection, but I knew that the support of my school and community would get me to my destiny at the end of the road. I knew that I had to finish my senior year with a bang. I knew I must create history for hooks. If I didn't, I wouldn't succeed in my mission, so I started chasing gold for hooks. It was time for me to win. I joined more organizations and academic teams and did more events. I joined theatre just for the sake of competing. I grinded out every speech and every debate. I created 40 page policies, 20 pages worth of speeches, and hours of hard work in athletics. My hard work paid off at the regional congress. It was the first debate event of the year. I took home gold, and the Hooks debate team took three of the top 6 placements. State Congress came after, and I finished tenth in the whole state of Texas for Conference 3a. The District CX debate was next, and my partner and I went undefeated. On top of that, I took home the top speaker award that same day. Next up was State CX, where my partner Jonathan and I advanced to the quarterfinals—the farthest a Hooks team had ever gone in history. I didn't just focus on speech and debate victories, I knew I had to serve my community better as well, so I decided to become a teacher's assistant at Hooks Elementary. There, I met some of the best fourth grade students ever and got to experience the beauty of tomorrow. It was through that experience that my dreams of serving as our nation's leader got even stronger because I knew these kids deserved a better future, and I knew I could be the one to bring them that better tomorrow. I stillcontinued my journey to make history in Hooks High School. It was time for the Educator's Rising State Conference. I had prepared my speech to solve the teacher shortage for months. I gave my speech and was named state champion at the end of the conference. I also became one of Hook's first-ever individual national qualifiers for anything. Then I decided to do a new event for FCCLA called Red Talks on Education, where I gave a Ted Talk style presentation on addressing the teacher shortage crisis. It was a long shot of even making it to nationals for Red Talks, but I not only made nationals, but I was a top-ten finalist in the entire nation for my presentation. I did it. I had done big things for my school, myself, and city. I had actually done it. Looking back, I was just a silly kid who didn't know who he was, and now I had become a part of history never to be forgotten.
I thought to myself, How could it have been possible that I had done all this when it seemed as though just yesterday I was a kid who didn't care about school and all I was known for was having a seizure that one time during PE? The answer came to me—the support, the love, and the pride of Hooks and its people are what got me here—without them, "Chito" would have never been able to do something like this. I will always carry the love and admiration I have for the people of Hooks in my heart as I pursue my dreams at the University of North Texas. Though I am moving to a new community, the values instilled in me by Hooks, Texas, will empower me to make a positive impact wherever I go. I can't predict tomorrow's mystery, and I can't change my history. I know now that in order to enjoy my life, I must take control of the gift that is today.
