“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” The transformation that author and poet Maya Angelou speaks of often goes by underappreciated through the years as we change and mature. The butterflies that we are today are often merely accepted as they are, with little acknowledgment of how they came to be in the first place. The metamorphosis that I underwent through high school reflects just this tendency. I have gone by these four years with little thought on the differences between what kind of person who entered these halls as a freshman and what kind of person will exit these halls in May; when in truth, these changes are undoubtedly drastic.
Throughout the few years I’ve been here, my confidence has undeniably grown. I feel more comfortable doing tasks that wouldn’t have even been in the question a few years back. With this new confidence, I have been able to join several clubs and programs here at JHS including Student Government and the REF Program. I’ve also assumed leadership roles in some such as in National Honor Society. The confidence that I have gained has spread to several of my out-of-school activities as well. I am able to reach out more to others through trying different things—going on mission trips, serving lunches to kids in the summer at my church, and even learning new skills like ice hockey. Though I haven’t completely come out of my shell, the leaps that I have taken have been a large part of my maturity and development.
Though so much about me has come so far, I know that the butterfly I am hasn’t completely hatched from its cocoon. I know that these years in high school were merely the beginning of a promising future of more confidence and a more beautiful change. Come graduation, I am blessed to know that the meek, nervous girl who came in to JHS will leave a sure, capable young lady, as my metamorphosis to be the best person I can be will unquestionably continue.