High School Overview

In 2011, I started 9th grade at Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas. I am one of those people who looks back on my high school experience and thinks, "I really enjoyed high school, but I wouldn't do it again".

Here is my first day of school picture for junior year. The first 2 years of high school were consumed by band, specifically drum line. In the fall, I was at school by 6:30 every morning for marching band practice. In the winter, I was at school until 8:00 every night for drum line show practice. Colleyville has a very rigorous and competitive drum line, who enters and competes in all sorts of competitions. One of my favorite high school memories was traveling to compete at PASIC, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, when it came to Austin.

This is me and some drum line friends at a football game.

This is me at PASIC in 2012. Our drum line show got 3rd place overall, but we did get awarded best front ensemble. After my sophomore year, I decided to end my career in drum line, for many reasons, but one being so that I could enjoy high school as a "normal" student. I was able to attend football games and sit in the student section, and I had the opportunity to get involved in other organizations. I joined Best Buddies, which is an inclusion program geared towards students with disabilities.

Here I am with my buddy, Bailey.

This is me at a football game with some of my friends on the drill team. I also took a lot of AP classes in high school, which were often very rigorous courses. I do remember a lot of group work, projects, and other progressive techniques, but I also remember a lot of testing. In AP classes especially, the whole year is spent preparing for a test, and there is so much pressure put on teenagers to perform well and become good test takers. I felt like a lot of my high school was spent learning how to take tests, which is sad. Junior year is when I started to think about college. I wasn't ever sure what I wanted to major in, but after touring UNT, I knew that I wanted to go there.

Here I am at my college tour of UNT in 2014! In June of 2015, I walked the stage and received my diploma from Colleyville Heritage High School. It was very bittersweet, because I loved high school, but I was excited for the future!