My sophomore year

 Sophomore year was like a roller coaster for me personally, and academically. This past year I have learned from a lot of people. I did things I thought I would never do, I took risks, met new people, and learned to take things more serious. Over the past year my life has changed so much. Out of all the years I can honestly say my sophomore year was the year that I will remember forever.

My sophomore year at Atrisco was chaotic to say the least. Everyday was a challenge for me I guess you could say. I wake up every morning at five thirty, drag my butt out of bed and get ready to learn something new. Classes were difficult. I tried my best to keep up my grades. I look back on it now, and wish I would have applied myself more to my school work, and would've been more focused. But that is something I know that  I will definitely do next year. This is my last year at Atrisco, and I am so thankful I had the opportunity to come here. 

About half way threw the year I knew that I needed a change. Things here were not how I wanted them to be. I found myself alone with nobody really there for me, and that's when I decided to move schools. In the past few months I have grown super close with three people here. Tomorrow is the last day, and man it kills me that I won't be seeing these people everyday. Matthew, Eliud and Ashlee, I cannot thank you three enough for bringing happiness and joy to my life, without you guys I wouldn't have anything. It's time for a fresh new start though,  with all new people. In the end, I know that it will be better for me.   

If I were to look back to the beginning of my sophomore year, I would see that I have changed tremendously. I have grown a lot stronger. Not physically but mentally. I have now learned that you can't depend on others to make you happy, you have to find it in yourself. I've learned to be more carefree about things. You can't always take life so serious, every once in awhile you have to smile. The most important thing I have learned is you can't always stay stuck in past, you have to let go and continue to move up in life.  

Tenth grade was the year of maturity, and growing. There are so many memories that I will never forget. I wish things would have worked out different but everything happens for a reason. I would not take anything back, I don't have one regret. I have taken the good things and bad things that have happened to me and I have turned them into life learned lessons.

I know as life goes on will achieve my goals and be someone great. I will prove people wrong. I will teach myself how to fight through all the tough times. I will laugh, cry, scream, and smile. I will fall in and out of love. Tomorrow is not a guarantee, so be thankful to wake up in the morning and have another day here.

Mr. Leh, thank you so much for being an amazing teacher. You have truly taught me so much this past year. You have taught me to look at life in a different way. To cease the day, and be thankful for the life you have. The lessons you have taught me, I will forever remember.

Babygirl

Autumn Gabrielle Ortiz

She's what I live for.

My anything

                                         

    

Life is about finding yourself. You learn something new everyday, wether  it's good or bad.  It's about taking chances, making mistakes and being okay with change. Over the years I have learned a lot, and finally found myself. I've made plenty of mistakes, but it's gotten me where I am today. I don't regret. I feel that everything I have done both in the past, and present has happened for a reason, therefore I shouldn't want to take anything back. 

Love conquers all. It gives you the strength you never knew you had. If you surround your life with love, it seems like nothing is impossible.When you have someone to love, good times or bad times, deep down in your heart you know you are truly happy. Love is one of the best feelings in the world. You feel comfort, safety, and most of all happiness. I have this boy, he brings so much joy to my life. He is my inspiration, my motivation. He has stuck by me for the longest time. I've become so used to him, that he's become my life. I know we're young, but miracles happen, right? All I know is without him....

I can't even picture what life would be like.

I can honestly say, I feel like that happiest girl on earth. I have an amazing family, and amazing friends. My parents, who I cannot even being to describe how much they mean to me. I know I may not always thank them for the things they do, but deep down I am so grateful. I have finally found true friends. Five people who I pretty much would do anything for. Antonio, even though he is family he's like my  best friend. Joe, who has become a part of my family. Ashlee, who has been my best friend for eleven years. She has stuck by my side through it all. Matthew, who I have grown so close with in the past year, he is one of the few people who make me genuinely happy. Eliud, who has shown me, and taught me so much in the past three years. These five individuals are truly amazing, and I am so blessed to have them in my life. 

I'm just your average teenage girl, with hopes and dreams to become something great. I live my life to the fullest. I have made mistakes, and those are just lessons learned. As I continue to live my life, I will continue to set goals for myself to achieve, I will continue to love those who love me back. I will forget those who show no respect. My life is sometimes chaotic, but every morning I wake up and I am so grateful to be here.  

Wisdom Quotation

"As you grow older, life seems to get a little tougher."

 Every person has their story. Mine's has always been simple. I grow up as a kid,being messy, being told "No! Don't do that!" millions of times a day. Then before I know it, I'm sixteen years old, in high school trying to make something of myself. I could remember being in kindergarden, painting pictures of my house, with the sloppy green paint for grass. Years pass, now I'm in middle school. Seventh grade, learning how to write essays. Few more years pass, and I stand here. Sophomore, sixteen years old, getting myself prepared for college. It's amazing how fast life passes you by. Sixteen years of my life, has gone by.

As you grow older, more mature, life seems to throw many obstacles your way, that are both good, and bad. You somehow have to find it in yourself to overcome the problems you go through in life. Being that I am only a teenager, I feel I have been through a lot, but I know as I continue to grow older, things will only get tougher.

 If today was my last day on earth, I would probably find every person who made my life worth living, sit them down, and tell them how much they mean to me, and thank them for everything. For making me the person I am today. It may take me awhile, but I know that I couldn't just leave without saying goodbye. If today was my last day, I would look myself in the mirror, and be proud of who I have become so far.

Everything I have learned to this day I would want to tell it to someone younger than me, so they won't make the same mistakes I did. My three little cousin's for example. The ages of eleven, seven, and six. They are getting older, and as they do, they somehow get this image in their head that all that really matters is being "pretty, and popular", and that's not the case. I would tell them to be a kid as long as you can. Be messy, run around, and make your grandparents crazy. I see them, and they want to put on makeup, wear cute little dresses with high heels, have a boyfriend, and a cell phone, and money all the time. And that's exactly what I wanted when I was at that age.

I'm there now. I have the makeup, the boyfriend, the cell phone, the money, the car, and it's not anything to brag about. Having all this stuff isn't what it's all about. It's about being yourself, and not having everything "cool". You don't need all that stuff to be pretty, or seem normal. I would tell them to never let anyone or any magazine tell them how they should be or how they should look.

As I sit here typing this essay, I can only think of what is most important right now. It's my education. I have learned so much in the past sixteen years, that I would want to share it with as many people as I can. Tell them that learning is pretty much everything. I would say, "you need to go to school" that is where you will either make something of yourself, or won't be anything at all.

If today was my last day, and I was granted one wish, it would be to be a kid again. Because life doesn't get any easier as you grow older.

Person for a day

  If I could be any person for just one day, I would choose to be Carlos Slim Helu. In the year 2010, Carlos has been listed the richest man alive. Carlos Slim is a Mexican tycoon who has built an entire empire to amass $53.5 billion in fortune. He own's some of Mexico's biggest department stores, telecoms operator, hotels, restaurants, oil drilling, building firms, and the list goes on. For the past half century, he has built up his empire pretty well. It's not very often that you get the name of being the richest man in the world. He believes in working for his money, and that is exactly what he has done for the past decades. 

 Carlos is now seventy years old, with no plans to retire he says. His mind as been set on money ever since he was eleven, when he invested in bonds and then in the years that followed invested more money in the larges bank in Mexico. Carlos went to school and was just somewhat of your average teenage kid. At the age of twenty six Carlos received his civil engineering degree and working fourteen hours a day to build his own stock broking company, and by that time, he was already sitting on forty million dollars. Having billions of dollars just sitting in a bank account, would tempt anybody just to go out and spend it. There is no way that any person can get rid of all that money.

 Through his sprawling empire of more than two hundred companies, he says he has "lost count" on how many banks, retail, airlines, mining, printing, construction, restaurants particularly telecoms he has developed over the years. With three teenage sons, he likes to sit at home, smoke a cigar, and lecture his children on economic lessons. If I had the money I sure wouldn't be at home talking my head off to my kids about world issues. I would probably be vacationing in Paris, buying out all the stores. But, that's just me. He likes to stay up late reading history books. His Mexico City home has six bedrooms, and a small swimming pool.

 Being the richest man alive, you would think, he would own the biggest mansion with thirty rooms, and twenty nine bathrooms, and a huge swimming pool. I guess he chooses to spend his money wisely. If I could be Carlos Slim I would probably have no worry in the world. With all that money, you could do anything you really wanted to. I would ask him how does it feel to be the richest man in the world? Does he sometimes take the title of being the richest man in the world for granted?

With billions of dollars I would spend it on a huge house, maybe a few cars. I would also buy my family members a place to live. Give money to charities around the world. Having all the money would make me pretty happy. Although they say money doesn't buy happiness, it does for the moment.