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A Reflection on the Student Diversity Leadership Conference

So here we are again. Back to the bustling bodies in the field house and clicking of keyboards as the deadlines of college apps, essays, and more approach.  In the midst of the workload, however, my mind still lingers in the days of a full month ago, when I and eight other students journeyed to Houston Texas for the Student Diversity Leadership Conference. Put simply, the experience was both incredible and in more ways than I can name, indescribable, but I try my best when inquired to explain. Here’s the best I have to offer through words—in this subject matter, physicality overpowers the print on a page.

The late nights that come with being a super fan is my favorite thing about the fall season. Going to school then cross country practice, showering in the locker room and sticking around campus for a football, soccer or volleyball game before heading back home to do homework is the best kind of evening. Spending time at sports games aren’t just a good way to support fellow students, but is also a fun time to just hang out, talk to friends, and relax before going home and doing homework. And since most sports games are on Tuesdays, there are only three classes worth of work to do that night anyways.

There’s nothing like sitting down with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate. Milk-chocolate-northern-light-skim-milk hot chocolate that is. So okay, maybe I am one of those reader-fanatics who could spend all buried in a coffee shop with her nose in a book. I can. In fact, I did. This past Thursday over MEA, I celebrated my sweet sixteen doing just that. Of course, that’s not all I did, but nevertheless it was the perfect way to spend a few hours at home alone, off school and with a parent away at work.

As I finally settle into the daily routine of junior year I can’t help but to feel the stress of six classes of homework, clubs and other activities throughout the day.  With the fieldhouse as our new home, many thought it would distract and keep us even more stressed than usual. I must disagree. The fieldhouse has been a wonderful experience so far and it has definitely helped build Breck’s sense of community that we strive for. The field house has allowed me to see more people in different grades and gives me the chance to bond with people I usually wouldn’t see on a regular basis.  All of us have made some changes that have allowed us to come closer as an upper school. Of course, its still a little hard getting to chapel and assembly on time, but we’re working on it.

A few weeks ago I was at school for my Advanced History Research Program class and happened to run into my first-grade teacher. To me, it was like visiting my grandma. Mrs. Wright told me how old I looked now, how she remember when I was little, how she couldn’t believe it was my senior year, and all I could even think was, "Oh my God, how long have I been at this school." But this encounter made me think. Aside from the fact that the academics here are stellar, what made me stay here for fourteen years of my life? Well the answer is simple, because I love it here.

Making the decision to leave the safety and comfort I had found in my fourteen years at Breck during what many would consider to be the most important semester of my high school career—spring of junior year — was not easy. However, when I heard about the School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL) in Washington, D.C., I knew it was an offer I could not resist. SEGL is a semester long program for high school juniors from around the world that provides a unique opportunity. When I heard that I could spend a semester with a diverse group of twenty motivated peers studying a curriculum that emphasizes ethical thinking skills, leadership development, and international affairs while challenging myself, developing my passions, and discovering new areas of interest, I jumped at the opportunity. Breck has given me a drive to create positive change in my world—and SEGL was the perfect conduit for doing so.

This is been the question I have heard the most over the past two weeks. Since school’s started, I’ve been juggling my homework (6 classes of assignments and no free period to get ahead) and my work schedule (4:30-9:30 at night). Now I know that taking a job that I knew would end so late at night during the first two weeks of the school year may seem like a pretty dumb decision, I am so happy that I made it.

Coming back from an amazing summer vacation was definitely a tough thing to do but not as tough when you have had the type of summer I had. Don’t’ get me wrong, I had one of the greatest summers ever, but also one of the most vigorous and time consuming ones.

sophomore | säf (a) môr | n. -- a second-year
college or high school student. 

According to the Oxford American Dictionary, sophomores are as boring as students classified by their age.  In fact, the entirety of their worth fits into one lone sentence, and not even a run-on at that.  Unfortunately, the dictionary may accurately reflect similar wide spread assumptions on the surface—for what is special about sophomore year? Senior privileges, college counseling and standardized tests, the exciting new experience of acclimating to high school as Fresh-meat, or the much-anticipated title "upperclassmen" ALL do not apply.  As a junior once told me, we do, more or less, take up space.  But then right about now is the moment you find Katie Schmidt receiving her license, Ira Buffalohead scoring a touchdown, or Evie Mackenzie starting a Spanish club.  And it’s the companionship, energy, and accomplishments that have allowed me to centralize my life again upon returning to school—or shall I say, begin to re-centralize my life. Allow the rhythmic click of my-most-endeared-mac-book-air (yes, MACBOOK AIR!!!!) to explain:

Anyone who knows me will probably expect me to blog all about the 2012 Mustang football season. There’s no doubt, I’m still going to do that.  However, as the school year kicks off, I would like to take this chance to take one last look back at the summer. Last year — my first at Breck — showed me the greatness of the school; however, my experiences this summer showed me the uniqueness of the school, too. For me, preseason football began at the beginning of June.