And the clock on the wall has been stuck at 3 for days and days.

My biggest change in high school from my freshman year and to who I am now is really how I interact with people. As a freshman, I started out like a wide-eyed puppy dog. I was willing to do whatever it took, no matter the situation. In JROTC, I wanted to overachieve, to do great things - but the biggest problem with that was that I was (and might still remain) too soft-hearted to be threatening enough to get where I wanted to go. Reflecting on that in my senior year, I see now that letting others triumph over me, despite what I wanted to do, made me suffer.

My biggest achievements, though, were also in JROTC. I have made lasting friends within our program (lovingly called my "packmates") and I could never regret all the laughter and happiness they have given me. One of my biggest recent achievements was being at the MCJROTC Chamionships, where I was placed as an Alternate on our "A-Team" (aka Varisty), but then proved myself by becoming the 6th individual shooter in the nation (2nd place female competitor!). It's been a long road to get here, but the people by my sides are more important than anything else.