“The first big life decision I had to make was to attend Santaluces High School for the Visual Arts Academy instead of my neighborhood high school.  After a lot of thinking and some pro-con lists, my choice was clear. CHIEFS (sometimes incorrectly spelled CHEIFS) was a phrase I heard from day one at Santaluces. The ‘CHIEFS’ matrix stands for Confidence, High Expectations, Integrity, Empathy, Focus, and Success. While everyone rolls their eyes at this, I look back at my time in high school and feel like I have learned what it means to be a ‘Chief’.

‘C’ is for Confidence. This is something I lacked when I started high school. I was once told, “Positive affirmations are sometimes wrong, but negative ones are always right.” I practiced these positive affirmations (even putting notes under my pillow) to remind myself I am capable. Now, I look at myself and say, “I am worth the effort I put in”.

‘H’ is for High Expectations, which I set for myself. At my school, I completed the AICE diploma, while also being in the visual arts academy and on the newspaper staff. Most students only do one or two of those tracks, but I went for all three. It was important for me to join school clubs and participate in out-of-school activities like my job and volunteer work. In every way I could, I set goals to be a more influential part of my community.

‘I’ is for Integrity, or having the realization that it’s easier to do the work myself rather than copy from somewhere else. COVID-19 happened during my seventh-grade year, and it became normalized to ask Google for all the answers. Having classes that required my original ideas (like AICE Global Perspectives and AICE English Language) made this bad habit impossible. Ironically, it turned out that learning the material was so much easier than copying or searching for answers.

‘E’ is for Empathy. I started going to therapy at the end of ninth grade. I’ve learned a great deal about how I communicate compared to others. Contrary to popular belief, listening is not the most important way to understand how somebody else feels; hearing them is. Communicating takes different forms for different people, and the best way to be there for somebody is to know what they need.

‘F’ is for Focus. This is another thing I lacked when I entered high school. I started using a planner, improving my note-taking strategies and study habits, and went to sleep way earlier than I used to. I also found myself in the study rooms at the library more frequently, which was weird because the adult section always seemed too mature for me.

‘S’ is for Success. I have received my AICE diploma, accomplished being in the top 5% of my class, and earned two industry certifications in Adobe. I made my way up to several leadership roles in clubs, and I became the unofficial school photographer. I went from staff writer to photography and social media manager in Newspaper, from member to president in Photo Club, and from member to historian in National Honor Society. Success can be measured in so many ways, but it should also be limitless. I believe the real success is my journey and that every moment has brought me to where I am now. Success is something I always want to be working towards.

I chose Santaluces High School for the opportunities, and I have thrived; I know I made the right choice. People think the positivity matrix is cringe, but no matter how it’s spelled, I am proud that I have grown to be a Chief. There will be more difficult decisions ahead of me, but I am confident that this foundation will set me up for success wherever my journey takes me.”

With graduation nearing, I am proud to say I can carry my sense of community with me wherever I end up. I hope that my essay will bring me to the school I am meant to attend.