Finding ones passion

Advice on what makes an applicant to college comes in all forms: counselors, parents, grandparents, television commercials, radio commercials, newspaper articles, expensive college coaches and of course-me.

I have the benefit and blessing of working with a diverse population of students with an array of talents. When I tell them to find what they love, it really means that...and they come back with some very interesting extracurricular activities. One student traveled to China for a video game competition, another started a literacy project with a local library, one star soccer player started coaching at the park because she was injured. My favorite, of course, is when a young person finds what they love by accident. I would like to share with you a practice essay from a student about training for and completing the Los Angeles marathon in 2011 (for the forecast on that day, one can check out local weather or check out this video or this one that captures the weather). It was tough.

When I crossed that finish line the rain pouring, my feet and hands were numb and swollen, and my heart was beating out of my chest. The day I finished my first LA marathon, the first of two, will be the day I remember for the rest of my life. I had been training for 8 months which meant months of pushing my body to its physical and mental limit and it all came down to one day. The sky was pitch black at 3 in morning as i started my morning routine as I prepped myself repeating to myself “you can do this”, “you’re definitely ready for this”, and “this is what you’ve been training for can’t give up now” but i still remember the moment I was getting out of the freeway and the school bus came into view, I turned to my mother and asked desperately if she thought i could make it, because at that moment I didn’t.

I was terrified, the air was extremely cold and clouds filled the sky as I waited at the start line at Dodger stadium, I huddled with the rest of my running mates giving each other words of encouragement. I felt my heart speed up as the gun was shot, I thought to myself this is really happening, I’m actually going to run 26.2 mile today. As I progressed to the 1 mile mark, I felt the start of rain and as the race progressed so did the rain. I was challenged to the ultimate limit, people were dropping from hypothermia because of the extremity of the weather. I was determined to finish. I met my mom every 5 miles and mid-way she had asked me if I wanted to quit. It was a turning point in my life.

I was determined to finish this, I would not give up, and I told her “I would finish even if I had to drag myself”. That was the day I proved to myself I could truly accomplish anything; it changed my life. I gained confidence and truly believed in myself. I was a completely different person after I opened up to people and seemed more at ease with myself. That day truly changed my life I had overcome even my own expectations and transformed me into who I am today.

This writer is not your typical athlete or runner. She decided to run the marathon not to add to her extracurricular activities but to accomplish a goal. I wrote more about young runners earlier in the blog. I encourage you to find what moves you, even if it seems crazy...like running a marathon. The writer of the earlier statement can be reached at cloudiski23@gmail.com.

More on Advanced Placement...

In the last few weeks, I have had the same question from parents of incoming 10th and 11th grade students...."should my child take that AP class?" While politically, I have my own thoughts about Advanced Placement courses and the rat race that many of our students have unexpectedly jumped into, the question goes beyond my ethical perspective.  An AP class is an intense commitment.

AP courses are a new concept for many parents, even those that attended high school and university in the United States. Parents have shared their own high school experience with me and whether they took/did not take AP classes and they still got in to college X.

Times have certainly changed in the last 15-20 years in post-secondary admissions.

Research supports the position that students who participate in a rigorous course of study while in high school perform much better in college than other peers their age. Rigor to us adults (as we remember our high school career) is much different than rigor to current high school students.

I support students that choose to take the AP class over an honors or non honors class, to an extent.  If the student has the appropriate background and preparation for the class, then they certainly should have the opportunity to take the class.

Students should always have the opportunity to experience the insane intensity that is an AP course. If it's too much, then they definitely need to consider other options and drop the class.   Sometimes taking one AP course over another may not be in the best interest of the individual student (and we as adults should be able to say that).

To the parents, please allow the child the opportunity to experience it and allow them to say that it is OK or too much. From what I see, one of the big challenges parents of new high school students encounter is helping their teenager make the decision to screw up or overwhelm themselves.

Young people will have a challenging time in the future if someone else makes decisions for them and if they don't learn how to screw up, especially in high school. Making the decision to take an AP course is a very big decision for a young person. The best thing an adult can do is help their young person come to the conclusion of taking the course or not taking the course.

Now, the bigger question to pose is balance. Is there a balance in the young person's life-academically and socially? Why do people take AP classes? "To look good for college" of course! However, colleges are not only looking at a child's transcript of several AP classes, colleges also look at students that have made a contribution (of some sort) to their community, have enjoyed an Art class on the weekends, who come alive when they play the violin in front of an audience. Character comes in more that one package and is not always evident in the amount of AP classes a child takes in their high school career.

I do encourage you all to check out a previous blog post specifically on AP classes and be realistic in determining a student's abilities. Ask for guidance from a counselor, teacher, or someone else that knows not only the student well, the AP program well.

Or ask ME and I may be able to help guide you in the right direction...or at least help you ask the right questions!

Parent Workshop for 9th and 10th grade families

Are you a parent of a 9th or 10th grade student? Do you have (what seems like) hundreds of questions to ask someone about the college process? Do you wonder whether your child is taking the appropriate classes?

Stop by Hamilton High School's workshop on understanding where your child should be academically, what they should be doing off campus and how to get into college (and even the school of their choice).

9th and 10th grade parent seminar

Monday, February 27th at 7pm

Goldman Library of Hamilton High School

2955 S. Robertson Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90034

Questions? call

(310) 280-1485

Presented by Marlene Garza of Guidance by Garza.