Going into Carroll I didn’t know what to expect. I remember the summer before my freshman year I kept watching high school movies like “Mean Girls” and “Clue” because I wanted to see what it was like to be in a predominately white school. Little did I know Carroll was NOTHING like those little chick flicks and that I was about to experience the craziest four years of my life.

 I  just wanted to be accepted because I always had an issue when it came to fitting in but high school was my new fresh start. During my freshman year, I didn’t really have many friends and again I still didn’t know what clique I was going to be a part of. 

I remember at an assembly Mr. Fox was delivering a speech and he mentioned something about us being a family. See, me being a jerk, I always said: “These people are no family of mine.” All of this changed my sophomore year of Carroll. 

My sophomore year is the year I finally decided to be unapologetically myself. I cut my hair so I could become natural. I started speaking my mind about social issues and developing my character. 

Being Black in a predominantly White school was pretty challenging. Going into a school with people who have different views from you and have a different culture from you can honestly be an obstacle. Carroll really opened my eyes and taught me how to be patient and I could just teach people about me and my culture. 

My favorite memory will always be me in theology class telling everyone what a “Papi store” was and what a “Durags” is. On the other hand, I met some of my favorite teachers and my closest friends here. 

Now I look back on that speech Mr. Fox made about Carroll being a family because now after being here four years I truly believe we are. See, not all the time family gets along ,and, of course, we have had a lot of ups and downs ,but, honestly, without my Carroll family I wouldn’t be the person I am today and I love Carroll for that.