I remember this day like it was yesterday. I was called to the office right before I was about to leave school. This was unusual because I rarely got called to the front office. I was escorted into a conference room still unsure about what I had done. I texted my friend who rode home with me, “It’s going to be a minute,” because I did not know what lied ahead. To my surprise, I was announced Fulton County School’s Star Senior for Westlake High School.

This was unexpected, so I didn’t have time to prepare or get camera ready. My task was to find two staff members who made the biggest impact on my high school experience. There were far too many people to name. I could have used my previous instructor and coach, Coach Cage, because he saw my development from a freshman to senior. I wanted to use one of my favorite instructors, Ms. Walker, who transformed me as a student leader in organizations as well as the classroom. I also wanted to highlight my AP World History teacher, Ms. Dickens, who helped me achieve my first passing AP exam score. After a frantic search on who I would choose, I decided upon my counselor Dr. Ford and Spanish teacher Senorita Wilson. Both of these women made a lasting impact on my high school career and still today as a college student.

Without Dr. Ford, I would be in extreme debt as a college freshman. As a counselor, a majority of my college and scholarship acceptances lied in her hands. It was difficult to build a personal relationship with a counselor who has to divide her time among hundreds of students, especially since my school was well over a thousand students with less than 10 counselors. Despite her workload, she always made time for me. Not only did she make time, but she also handled every task with a smile. Now, we are not talking about just any task. I applied to 20 schools, so she had her hands full with counselor recommendations and more. I wanted to highlight her in the video, but she is not too fond of unexpected camera time. One of my other favorite staff members came through, though.

Senorita Wilson truly helped groom me into the leader I am today. When I enrolled into her Spanish III course, I was indifferent about the subject and school. She took me where I was and transformed my entire mentality. She encouraged me to continue my Spanish skills, but also to challenge myself with leadership roles as a Spanish tutor. I did not realize my passion for language and helping others until she helped me find it. Senorita Wilson was not too happy about her unexpected camera time neither, but she took my video to the next level.

Being a leader means more than recognition. As a high school student, it is easy to get overlooked if you are not a top student or top athlete. I was relatively good in both regards, but never the best. Regardless of my accomplishments, I remained a humble leader. This stood out most to my peers and school faculty. They say all blessings come in due time. In my case, it happened with perfect timing. After years of involvement, my leadership earned me this amazing honor. To this day, I still am proud to have been recognized on this level.