First Person: Growing from Middle to High School

My name is Lindsey Garcia, I am 14 years old and I graduated from middle school at Ánimo Jefferson Middle School and I am a current ninth grade (freshman) student at Ánimo Ralph Bunche High School.

Starting high school was something I had always had mixed feelings about, as I was sad, happy, excited, but overall I was nervous. Starting this new chapter in my life meant friends leaving for other schools or moving away, saying goodbye to my teachers and staff, and leaving the school building I had spent my middle school life in and created memories that  I will never forget. This was the hardest part of my transition, but doing this gave me a sense of clarity and it made me realize whatever I accomplished there, I can accomplish that and more in high school. 

I wasn’t the only student who felt this way.

“I was kinda nervous about what I would be like or how the classes were going to be. As  well as how the new people I was going to have to meet were going to be like.” said Gabriela Rubio, another freshman at Ánimo Ralph Bunche. It’s okay to be scared or nervous at first, most people feel this way transitioning or starting a new chapter in their lives. 

This transition has been nerve-racking for a lot of us but I see we are all adjusting slowly. Students are now becoming more comfortable and open with each other and teachers are starting to create bonds with their new students. 

Aside from this, I have noticed Ánimo Ralph Bunche and Ánimo Jefferson are somewhat different. What I mean by this is that both schools run things differently and the way their school is built is also different from the other. For example, Ánimo Ralph Bunche has two floors and both of those have classes at the same time. So some students have to change from upstairs classes to downstairs ones. This is different from Ánimo Jefferson because all the classes are taught  on the same floor, making it easier to navigate your way around the school to find your classes on the first day of school.

I have also noticed that Ralph Bunche is a lot more trusting with students using their phones at lunch or towards the end of class, when all the work for the day in that class is completed, whereas in middle school, students are not allowed to use their cell phones if it is not class related.

Apart from this, my own transition from middle school to high school has so far been a mix of things. I have met some new people that I can now call my friends, met my new teachers, and even rejoined Students Run L.A. (SRLA). I’m also trying to do cross-country. The teachers are nice and helpful, which is something I am grateful for. A couple months back I thought they were going to be a lot stricter but instead they were very understanding and helpful. They have made my transition go a lot smoother.

Making a change such as starting at a new school or simply going from middle school to high school can be difficult, or in some cases frightening. I hope every freshman or any student or even any adult who is transitioning to another chapter in their lives adjusts to this change and succeeds in what they want to or plan to do.