Since my first years in middle school, I can honestly say that I was not very school motivated. I hated doing homework, going to school, and sitting in class listening to my teacher talk. I did not feel the need to do well academically, and I thought that it was just a huge waste of time. I remember trying to hide my report cards from my parents so I wouldn't get yelled at. Every time my mother would find my report card before I got to hide them, she would yell at me for hours, sometimes even show some tears.
During my 8th grade year, my mother decided to get me a tutor, so I would do better when I got into high school. I was skeptical at first, but then I realized that having a tutor would increase my chances of success in high school. As time passed, my tutor and I grew a bond that I had never had with anyone else. My tutor became not only my teacher, but also became a brother figure in my life. One of the many ways he impacted my mind set, was the fact that he enlightened me with the word of god. He was a pastor at a church in Fremont and had a deep connection with God, he took me to a church retreat, where I met many good people and learned more about the loving Christian community. Throughout my years with him being my tutor, I never once found a problem that he could not solve. I honestly believed that he was a genius. Even with his help, I was not very motivated to do well in my studies my freshman and sophomore year. I guess you can say that for a moment, I rejected school. I believe I went by the first two years of high school with a 2.0 - 2.6 GPA, not reaching my potential. Towards the end of my Sophomore year, my tutor informed me that he needed to serve in the South Korean army, because he was a citizen of South Korea. We had one last dinner, and said our goodbyes. I have not seen him since.
Being of Asian decent, my parents was often judged by others because of my bad working habits and the people that I often associated myself with. Always comparing me with their "hard-working" sons and daughters that got into a good UC. Aside from the criticism, my parents accepted me for who I was, always working hard to get me what I wanted in life. It was time for a change, I needed to prove to everyone, more importantly myself, that I could do well academically. Examples were set by my older cousins, who had not reached their full potential in high school, and were stuck in tough situations.
It was not until the beginning of my Junior year, where I started to exceed in my studies. I worked hard, did my homework everyday, studied for every test, and it all paid off. At the end of my first semester, I received a 3.63 GPA, higher than any of my past grade point averages. This just fueled my motivation to do ever better. At the end of my 2nd semester, I received the GPA of 3.83. My Junior year was the turning point in my academic life. Now it is my Senior year, and I plan on doing even better than ever before! I know that my first two years of high school have really hurt my chances of getting into a UC, and I can honestly say that those two years are filled with regrets. I plan on putting all my effort into my academic studies once I get into a college.
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