Hello everyone, my name is Stephanie and Im a senior and have been a student at Vaughn

for about eight years. Its surreal to say that in just a couple of weeks, I will be leaving home and
moving to Irvine where Ill attend UC Irvine! It is scary but the fact that Ill only be an hour or
two away, helps calm me down. In my years of being a White tiger, I have slowly learned to love
Vaughn. Like most people, I was reluctant in enrolling at a small high school. However, now I
realize that it was one of the best decisions Ive made so far. As a White Tiger, I was lucky
enough to travel to China, participate in the Hispanic Scholarship Fund college program where I
stayed at Loyola Mt. University for a weekend, and have had the opportunity to be a part of so
many programs at school. With the help of VISA, I have grown in many aspects including my
global awareness and college readiness. Ive also learned to communicate ideas effectively,
investigate the world, and take action. Also, had it not been for the immense concentration in
presenting, I would not be where I am today, confidently standing here and giving a speech about
my four years of high school.
The transition from middle school to high school was bittersweet because I knew it was
another step towards college, but a step in beginning my life. I was afraid of being around an
older group of students, taking on difficult courses, and being bullied or taken advantage of.
However, my Digital Literacy class allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and present in
front of a large audience. Having been a freshman, so shy and quiet, one can imagine how
terrified I was in speaking to a crowd of people. However, I faced my fear by practicing in front
of smaller crowds which ultimately allowed me to effectively present the information. In this
class, wed learn how to use certain software all while targeting certain social issues and putting
together projects, such as the Internet Safety Share Project. This project required me to create a
presentation on internet safety and sexting. We noticed that most teens arent aware of the

consequences of posting inappropriate pictures or messages on social media therefore; we took

action by creating a Prezi, informational flyers, and bookmarks open artifact to present to
middle school students. In completing this project, I learned how to research information and
identify reliable sources that end with .org, .edu, and .gov. It helped me get use to the idea of
researching, leading a group, and of course speaking in front of a crowd. This project allowed me
to communicate ideas. I informed the middle school students of the consequences and advised
them on acting safely. We talked about how posting certain things online allows others to cyber
stalk or cyber bully. It was interesting to see the worried, yet captivated looks on so many
students and have them ask so many questions.
Freshman year was the most challenging just because of the transition and I was ready to
enjoy my sophomore year. This was the year I experienced the most memorable event of high
schoolgoing to China! Coming into VISA, I dreaded taking Chinese. I thought that itd be
boring, difficult, and ultimately useless since I live in the United States. However, after taking
two years of Chinese, I really learned to love both the culture and language and was gladly
proven wrong. Mesmerized by the thought of traveling to a different country, I worked hard on
completing an application for the spring 2013 China trip and I saw my name on the list of
attendees! I was relieved, surprised, and scared all at the same time. I have always been
dependent on my parents and had never been on a plane so it seemed really scary to travel across
the world play slideshow. I was fortunate enough to attend a school in Ningbo and participate
in a homestay program. I also visited Tian a men square along with other tourist attractions, ate
the great native foods, and even climbed the great wall! The trip was not only fun, but helped me
gain more knowledge about the Chinese culture and skills for academic success. I had a general
idea of the Chinese culture before the trip but after experiencing the culture first hand, I learned

that the Chinese educational system differs from the one in the U.S. Chinese students go to
school from 8am- 9pm and are taught very strictly; attentively listening to the teacher without
talking and filing in organized, single lines. One of the students asked me whether I surfed and
was allowed to go out late at night without any problem. Although the question was very
stereotypical, I learned to disregard the generalization and respectfully inform them of reality
that I in fact do not surf and that my parents do have restrictions. They seemed disappointed
when I told them this but also seemed glad that despite the distance, the U.S. and China arent
that different after all.
Then came along junior year, when I took Art for the very first time. I honestly took this
class thinking that it was going to be easy but to my surprise, it involved more than just creating
works of art. For one project, my partner and I chose to research abortion in Ireland and learned
about Irish government, laws, religion, customs, etc. Before this project, I did not know anything
about Ireland, let alone the fact that women cannot get abortions, unless they have an extensive
reasonone being the risk of death. Now, I know that Irelands religion, which is mainly
Catholic, plays a major role in society and public opinion. People believe that abortion is
inhumane and unmoral so, they outlawed the choice of abortion. As a result, women have gotten
illegal abortions and have even died because of the unsanitary conditions they undergo. In other
situations, women that are denied abortions die because their body cant handle the pregnancy or
because they have a disease. Before this project, I believed abortion was vicious but now I
understand that women should have the right to choose and have the option available without
any barrier. Show picture The sculpture created from this information is evidence of my
growth; it is a sculpture that explains my topic though visuals. In order to get to know my topic
well, I had to research both sides of the dilemma and look at both the negative and positive

aspects of abortion with an open mind. I communicated ideas when presenting to people during
our art exhibit. In the end, we took action when we decided to help the ARC (Abortion Rights
Campaign) in Ireland shine a light on this issue and I created little poppy flowers so that our
audience could sign their name on the back to respectfully remember those who suffered under
this abortion law. These flowers were then shipped to the ARC along with a letter and a picture
of our project.
Soon after, senior year approached and well here I am, stressed and sleep deprived.
Having gone through mental breakdowns, headaches, and tears, I am glad to say that graduation
is almost here and Im definitely ready to take on college! The last artifact I have to show is my
career hierarchy. Last semester, I had to shadow a specialist in my desired profession as a
pediatric registered nurse. This project helped me gain new knowledge and better prepared me by
showing me a glimpse of career and college culture. As a research project, I looked over many
websites and found out what I have to do to achieve the career I want. Before this year, I didnt
know what career path to take or where to go for college. Through the research for this project, I
learned about pediatric nursing. It really caught my attention so I looked into it and found that it
would be perfect for me. When interviewing Dr. Thomas, I learned that even if you dont go to a
four year university or accomplish a degree quickly, one can still be very successful. It took her a
while to get her degrees, but she now acquires many certificates and trophies in spite of her long
passage to success. Before, I didnt know how well I would understand the content discussed in
medical classrooms and how I would begin my career. After this project, I felt that I knew
enough about becoming a registered nurse and felt confident enough to endure on the upcoming
educational journey.

As I come to an end, I would like to advise the teachers to take more measures towards
preparing students for the SAT and ACT exams as well as the college placement tests because
they affect us in college. Rather than having a couple of YPI sessions afterschool, there should be
constant help from teachers and maybe even a 7th period class specifically designed to meet the
needs of juniors and seniors.
As for underclassman, I advise you to take advantage of programs offered here at
Vaughn. Take AP classes, apply for a trip to China, join a leadership group or clubs and try to get
an internship in your desired career choice. I promise you it will make your college application
stand out dramatically. I know VISA is difficult and sometimes you might want to cry because
completing an assignment or raising a grade might seem like a long shot but it is possible! Cry it
out if you have to, but dont give up! I had my share of tears throughout my high school years. I
put too many things on my plate all at once, regretted it at times, but never stopped trying. As I
said on my senior quote Let me win but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.