More than two years ago, I arrived to the American Nicaraguan School. Since I had lived for more than ten years in Europe, I did not know what to expect when I came back to my home country. Not only was I changing my whole lifestyle coming back, but also it was a shift from middle school to high school so initially it was hard for me to adapt. After all though, it has been a great experience studying at ANS. I have learned so much and it has and still is one of the most important periods of my life. One thing I was introduced to when I came to this school was the concept of clubs. I had never been in anything like these groups before, since these were not available in my school in Italy. It has been amazing to participate in these activities because they have all been wonderful experiences which have enhanced my stay in this school. I think everything I have done in these clubs and other extracurricular activities has shaped my character and me as a person. To me, the National Honor Society signifies the apex of all these clubs, and this is why I crave to be in it.

            I have understood that academic excellence is one of the most important factors to join the NHS. Since I arrived to the school I have endeavored to achieve excellence in all classes. Initially I struggled in courses due to the fact that English was not my main language, but year after year I have improved in my classes and I have been able to excel as a student. It has been a whole process, but it has been worth it and this can be observed by seeing the results. First of all I have been able to maintain myself in the honor class of mathematics since I got into it halfway through ninth grade. Also, I am starting to take AP courses because I want to challenge myself more than I already have. In addition to this, last quarter I completed my milestone of achieving straight A’s, and this year and the next I intend to maintain this accomplishment.

            I believe that helping my community is one of the most important and relevant things I can do. In fact, I consider that the community gives so much to us even if often we do not notice it, and therefore we should give something back to it. I think that everybody can make at least a small change in one’s society and if everybody helped out we would maybe not live in a perfect community, but It would definitely become better. It is not always easy to put these principles in practice, but I have been trying by participating in several community service projects proposed by various clubs. First of all, I decided to enter in Green Project, because I am a very conscientious person when it comes to our environment. Also, I joined Dream Builders because I really enjoy talking to old people, and in this club I am able to do this and at the same time I am helping an elder institution by keeping its inhabitants company and providing them with food bought with funds we collect from the members or by selling things. Finally, I joined the French Club since I really admire French culture, and also we help an asylum for abused children by visiting them and buying them school materials. Also, I participate in several other extracurricular activities which do not involve community service. In Knowledge Bowl I have been able to enter our team and proudly represent my school in the last year’s AASCA tournament and I hope to do so again this year. In addition, I really like sports and I have always been part of some of them, such as soccer, judo, tennis, swimming, and actually track and field. By participating in all these extracurricular activities, I have not only had fun and help my community, but I also made many long lasting friends which have helped make ANS like a second home for me. Furthermore, I have worked with groups of people, and this has really helped me to develop my leadership skills, dramatically increase my confidence, and improve my ability to communicate with all types of people.