As I’ve said, this blog is to chronicle my high school years. I am now currently a rising sophomore, and school starts in early August.

My freshman year of high school was not that good, and I think it was because I focused way too much on the social side of school. My main goal this year is to be more engaged academically.

Being almost a sophomore means I really need to start considering my future. This year is when things get serious, and you start applying to scholarships. At least, that’s what I’m doing.

So, you might be thinking, “What do you want to do, Michelle?”. The answer is that I’m not entirely sure. I know I want to go to college. My parents keep telling me to attend community college, like my brother is doing, but I don’t know.

Part of me wants to apply to a bigger college, so I can have more experiences outside of my home. I don’t want to be too far away, though. Somewhere in Virginia, Maryland… that kind of area.

Aside from going to college, I also still need to decide what I want to major in. I’ve considered many things in the past, but I’ve narrowed it down to something with reading and writing.

I’m not sure how to describe it… Writing is just magical. It’s a miracle, actually. I think it’s fascinating how we can understand each other’s exact feelings by writings on a paper! The development of language, as well, is amazing.

That’s why I’m considering Linguistics!

I’ve done a bit of research, and I’ve looked at a few universities Linguistic departments. I’m still not set on a specific school, after all, there is no guarantee that I get into any of them. However, one that has caught my eye is the University of Maryland.

I feel like this school is way out of my league, and for me to even consider it, I should focus on my studies. So that’s what I’m going to do!

I’m not a bad student, per se… I’m just not that enthusiastic in some classes. Except English. I’m in Honors English 10 this year, and I passed advanced on my 8th grade Writing SOL. This is all because I really like the subject.

I also just like writing in general! I really need to make a portfolio…

Anyway, the future is uncertain and scary to think about, but I know what I want to do. It doesn’t need to be UMD specifically, but I still really want to study at a big school like that. To afford that, I would need a scholarship… I will figure it out. I just know what I want, and if I see an opportunity, I will try my best!