Assignment #24 - Irene Kim - Future

It almost feels surreal that the year is basically over. I took the AP exam for this class just a couple hours ago! This year has taken a lot of weird turns, but now it's almost summer and then it'll be our last year of high school. As for personal successes, I feel like a big thing was improving my mental health. It's been quite the journey, but this year I've felt the most stable and generally happy. I've also discovered a lot of new things about myself through therapy, and I think that self-awareness aspect is a big part of coping with mental issues! Academically, I'm also proud of myself and everyone who took the AP exams online this year. Just one more to go tomorrow! For failures, it feels weird not to include the COVID-19 crisis in this. Without a doubt it's been a dismal year, but I hope that everyone will try to follow the social distancing guidelines and bring our health rates back on track. For risks taken, I think therapy would probably be the biggest one. I'm not much of a risk taker and I don't love to spill my feelings out to a stranger, but in the long run, it's been really helpful. I've learned that I have social anxiety and OCD. But I've also learned that these are "conditions," not necessarily "diseases," and that they will fluctuate depending on the situation, and that you are able to overcome them (though I have yet to fully do so). In the long run, I think that experiencing these conditions will help build my character, which was far different from the approach I had before taking therapy. As for mistakes made, I think I could have stepped out of my comfort zone more. As I said, I'm not the greatest risk taker. Even with the smallest of things, including starting a conversation (especially over zoom or online!) or greeting my neighbor, sometimes I just kind of shrivel into a shell. It's different with close friends, but I'm really sorry if you've ever had to sit in a zoom with me while I sit silently and smile uncomfortably. :) But that's definitely something I want to become better at next year!

For the summer, I plan to spend a lot of time with family, trying to find some fun things to do at home, and work on my college applications. I'm really excited to attend GSP this summer--hopefully it doesn't get cancelled! Regarding senior year, I would really like to come back to school in person. Health and safety come first without a doubt, but if it is safe, it would be nice to see friends again and sit in class in person. Coming out of quarantine, I think we'll all learn to be grateful for little things like this that we took for granted before! I'm also super excited to continue HeForShe Club with Hannah, Megan and Araya. Lots of new prospects for the coming year!