Transcript/ Reflection

Looking back through my transcripts is like looking through an album of memories. The

name of each teacher and class bring back so many memories; tests and homework and inside

jokes and late nights of studying. It’s my entire academic life contained in one spreadsheet and

I’m very proud of it. Straight A’s didn’t come easily. I worked for each one of those grades.

Looking at my attendance, however, is another story. Seeing the days I’ve missed makes me feel

a bit embarrassed, even though the absences were through no fault of my own. I have a

life-threatening, incurable medical condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia and I’ve

missed a bit of school due to the never-ending doctor appointments, hospitalizations, and

emergency room visits. I resent my attendance percentage as I feel that it isn’t indicative of who

I truly am and doesn't reflect that of which I am capable.

I pride myself on completion of projects. I will work to complete something to the

absolute fullest extent of my ability, even staying late to finish projects if I feel they need more

work. My work is of a high caliber and it’s reflected in both my transcripts and the colleges to

which I’ve been accepted. I work hard. I do not like missing days of school or getting behind on

anything, which is why, during my times in the hospital, I did my homework and studied despite

everything else that was going on. I did not want to be gone from school. I did not purposefully

cut class or skip the whole day because I just didn’t feel like coming; it wasn’t my decision,

rather, it was something that happened to me. I believe that my transcripts are a better

representation of who I am as a student and as a worker than my attendance. Making up the work

I missed and keeping my grades where they are wasn’t an easy feat, but I succeeded in spite of
this challenge and I believe that my success is a clear indicator of both my work ethic and my

personal values.