I once believed that achieving the bare minimum wasn't a bad thing. In fact, I figured that as long as I was able to make it through my classes, then I was doing just fine. This way of thinking caused a placebo effect not only in school, but also at home. It took me a very long while to realize that the choices I make can have a very big impact on the rest of my life.

At the beginning of my freshman year of high school, I was the average B/C student; I had never failed a class or had any disciplinary points. I'd gotten through middle school so easily, and figured that high school couldn’t be much harder. While in class, I did my work and felt as though I understood everything that was being taught. I would pass my tests and quizzes with As or Bs and started to think that as long as I was passing those, then there was no point in doing homework. My grades began to drop slightly but I wasn't worried, after all, I was still passing.

Migraines have been an unfortunate part of my life for as long as I can remember, so I was no stranger to missing school. Throughout my freshmen year I was missing around two days per month. Yet, still, I was passing my classes. However, instead of Bs and Cs, I began to see more Ds, and even the occasional F, on my report cards. I came to the conclusion that failing one class wasn't so bad, I continued to be on track to graduate. School became less of a concern for me my sophomore year. All I cared about was having fun and being around my friends. I began to miss even more school because I'd be up late with my friends and was too exhausted to wake up for class. I failed two classes that year and nevertheless continued to be unconcerned about the way my life was headed.

I was in desperate need of a wakeup call. Quite frankly, my junior year should have been it. I was missing an average of two days of school per week, never doing any homework assignments, and, consequently, failing multiple classes. This began to cause me major anxiety but I felt as though it was too late to change; I'd been doing this for three years after all. The feeling of being stuck became an everyday occurrence. By the end of my junior year I had failed four classes. I was still on track to graduate but, would be unable to have a part-time schedule my senior year like most of my friends would. Apparently, that wasn't enough to make me realize I needed to change because these self-destructing actions continued on into my final year of high school. I proceeded to miss school on a weekly basis and never touched any homework that was assigned to me. I was having weekly meetings with my principal for unexcused absences. Thinking I was invincible, and would be able to find a way to get around my truancy issue, I ignored her warnings of being expelled. Surely, she was only saying those things to scare me into coming to school more right?

Wrong. One morning I woke up feeling extremely worn out from the night before. I'd been up late trying to finish an essay at the last minute. My mom had left several messages on my phone; listening to them was the final breaking point. She informed me that my principal had called her and I was being expelled for truancy. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I felt so broken, so hopeless, so worthless. The tears rolled down my face as if they would never stop. After I had a few days to calm down, I realized that I could change. Of course I knew it wouldn't be easy and couldn't happen overnight, it would take time.

I was sent to an alternative learning center to finish out my senior year. I'm currently trying to make the best of my situation. My medical issues continue to cause me to miss school but now, I work as hard as I can while I'm there. I refuse to miss school because I stayed up too late. Instead, I just drink a cup of coffee and tough it out. I've began working on as much as I can at home if I'm able, and even if I fall ill, I will set aside some time to finish my school work. Realizing that I am capable of doing more was honestly one of the best things that could have happened to me. Even though, it took such dramatic situations to get me to the point of that realization. My new way outlook on life is to try your hardest because, at the end of the day, that's all you can do.