What's Next?

It's my senior year, and you can see how excited everyone is. Graduation is quickly approaching, and all I hear is people discussing which university or college they will attend. I envied them because they were already set to go somewhere and had their school paid for; in the meantime, I had no idea what I was going to do. Some students planned to attend local colleges, while others planned to attend out-of-state universities. Isn't it fancy?

I'm looking at my grades and thinking to myself that there's no way I'll be accepted to any college or university. I believed that in order to attend college, I needed to have straight A's. At the time, I assumed that my average grades would be insufficient, despite the fact that I had always received A's, B's, and C's up until 12th grade. With the exception of Pre-Calculus and Chemistry, I still received good grades. Those classes irritated me to no end. Was college even the best option for me? I barely got through high school, and now I'm thinking about going to college?

Math terrifies me, as it does millions of other people. It irritates me. I was never very good at it, and I still am not. When it came to simple addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication, I was fine. I was done with it once fractions were introduced into the equation. How do you solve for x? No, thank you. What is the slope? Thank you; I'll find the door. It didn't help that my pre-calculus teacher was from Romania and spoke with an accent that made it difficult to understand. She sometimes struggled to find the right words to explain the problems on the board. She was a nice teacher, but she made everything so difficult for me. You might as well be trying to teach me another language, Chemistry. 

I was the shy kid in class, so I didn't say much and never raised my hand to ask a question. I felt embarrassed. Nobody else raised their hand, so I assumed I was simply stupid for not understanding. I never asked for assistance. Now that I think about it, I know I would have understood a lot more if I had simply raised my hand and asked for clarification, but I kept to myself in the majority of my classes.

Now, before you think I was an outcast at my school with no friends, let me clarify that I did have friends. These were students who did not fit in with the rest of the school. They were distinct. I felt at ease around them and was able to be myself. They were brilliant people with exciting personalities. They never bothered anyone and kept to themselves at all times. I could relate. Don't get me wrong: I'm not going to take anyone's shit. I'm not the type to sit back and let you smack me or hit me. Every parent tells their children one of two things:

1. Violence is not the answer. Tell a teacher.

Or

2. Don’t take anyone’s shit. Fight back.

There's also a third point to consider. My mother once told me, "Don't start shit with anyone, but make sure you stand up for yourself." Expect another ass whoopin when you get home if you get your ass kicked.” I adore that woman.

In my junior year of high school, I decided to do something I had never done before. I tried out for my school's soccer team and, to my surprise, I was accepted. It was surprising because I had tried out for the position of goalkeeper. You're probably wondering why that would be surprising to me. My stature isn't exactly that of a goalkeeper. I am a towering 5 feet 5 inches tall.

Our team wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst either. From what I recall, we had a respectable record. I had so much fun that I returned for my senior year. This was a year full of unforgettable moments. My senior year, our team advanced to the quarterfinals of a championship, and we couldn't have been happier. We ended up losing that game, and it was the end of our season. But it was a hell of a season.

Prom night was approaching, and I had no plans to attend. I never had a girlfriend in school. Yes, if you include the "girlfriend" I had in fifth grade. She broke up with me in sixth grade because I was in fifth grade and had no idea what I was doing. I'm not sure why, but when my mother arrived to pick me up from school that day, I burst into tears in front of everyone. Do I feel bad about not going to prom? No, not at all. It wasn't the right fit for me.

I was thinking about what I was going to do as the school year progressed. Is it true that I was going to apply to colleges like everyone else? Was I going to have to leave my mother's house? Was I going to find work? All of these questions were running through my mind, and I was concerned about my future.

I was walking down the hallway at school one day when I noticed a man approaching me. He was dressed in a uniform that drew your attention. He was walking with such assurance, knowing that all eyes were on him.  He was a  United States Marine. I approached him without hesitation, and thus began my journey to becoming a United States Marine.