12th Grade

Greatest Growth Statement

My name is Sa-Shai Daniels. I am a recent graduate from the Dayton Regional STEM School. I’m pursuing a career in fashion design and creative directing. Now that high school is done I plan to go to college and major in fashion design. I believe that over the past four years at STEM I have grown to be a more dedicated and focused person.

At the start of junior year I realized that high school was almost over, and I desperately needed to step up my game if I wanted to get into college. So during the first quarter of school I buckled down and worked much harder than I had in the past two years. At the end of the quarter I surprised myself with grades that I could actually be proud of. I think the improvement in my grades shows a lot of growth. I remember feeling so good of myself. So I decided then and there that I would work just as hard for the rest of high school and the rest of my life. I didn’t do very well during the first two years of high school. I was disappointed in myself and I spent way too much time feeling sorry for myself when I should’ve just changed my habits. When I finally started to do well every other part of my life seemed to improve as well. I would compare my three different report from ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade to show how I’ve grown over the years. I think my report cards show that over the years I worked harder and harder to get where I needed to be. My grades are something that I’ve struggled with but I made the decision to change. I worked to be a better student so that I could have a better future.

I also became more focused in terms of college preparation. I’d always been one to think about the future, but I lost that during ninth and tenth grade. I spent those first two years avoiding the thought of college because I thought at the time that I wasn’t going to be able

to go where I wanted to. I knew that I’d have to go to college eventually so post reality check I started looking into colleges more. I found out about the application process, FAFSA, and the general requirements for acceptance. Once I refocused myself I began researching all of the colleges I wanted to go to. I scheduled college visits for spring break, and I got in touch with some admissions officers to see what colleges were looking for. After opening up to people about my fears I found out that I was not a lost cause. I think that all I needed was a push in the right direction, and I’m proud to say that I found a way to push myself.

I think that school helped me grow because the projects and assignments challenged me. The work pushed me to be better. The coursework forced me to think about things in new ways. When we were working in groups I had to make sure that I was contributing to the group because I knew that they would hold me accountable. I felt like I had something to prove to myself. I felt proud of myself, and that was new for me. I refused to let go of that feeling. Sometimes it was hard to keep up with all the work and

studying, but I knew that failing again wasn’t an option. So no matter how late I had to stay up or how many hours I had to listen to my brother lecture me on how algebra works I knew that I had to stick with it. High school has had a huge effect on me. It has taught me the importance of staying focused on what is important in order to properly prepare yourself for the future. Now I can move on in life knowing how to prioritize what I need to do and focus on. I think that this skill will help me be more productive person. I strongly believe that the things I’ve learn in high school will stay with me through college and my career in the fashion industry. As I look forward to the next step in my life, I think fondly of high school and all that it taught me.