Angelina Chiquitucto’s Senior Reflection

As a student who hasn’t spent as much time in this school district, spending my high school years in Hauppauge was a very different and new experience.  In freshman year I was a very secluded and closed off person, there was a lot of dislike towards my classmates from the upperclassmen and teachers due to their very childish and wild behavior, so I tried to not associate with them.  Coming from a school where I lacked social skills and didn’t have a great reputation, it was daunting to start over with the anxiety of not wanting to repeat the past.  In sophomore year I wanted to change that; I became more active as a stage crew member, formed more friendships and interacted with my classmates more.  Just when I thought I was finally reaching a comfortable level of social interaction and normalcy in my life, COVID-19 hit.  At first most of us just thought it would be over in a week. I remember the texts from my classmates saying, “Let’s go hang out after the break,” or “It will go back to normal in a week.”  After the first month of quarantine, I was starting to really feel the effects of social isolation.  Back then, my parents were very strict people. I had a phone that really limited my communication and ability to talk to my friends through texting or calling, neither of which my friends were fond of doing.  Once school started up again, I was so grateful to be able to see people in person again, despite the CDC restrictions.  Learning what it was like to be in total isolation with very little face-to-face social interaction really made me appreciate the high school experience.  Many people take this time in their lives for granted but junior year was one of the best school years of my life.  I met new people, I learned, and didn’t take my social experiences for granted.  

Another thing I learned to appreciate so much more is the stage crew.  It gives people who have a love for theater, tech, building, or just people that love helping create something that is bigger than themselves an opportunity to to have a hands-on experience.  The shows we have done and the things we have accomplished are something that isn’t part of the typical high school experience, and it helped guide us all through high school to be the kind of people we want to be.  With the guidance of Mr. Alymer, or as we call him, Boss, we built and painted sets, managed the audio of the actors’ microphones to make them sound perfect, directed the spotlights to make the actors shine and bring the sets to life, assisted the directors and managed the cast and crew behind the scenes of the show, managed 5-second scene changes like the one where the stage turns into a church, and learned all the songs and dances from the show to the point where some of us are better than the actors.  We might have our drama (no pun intended), but we learn from each other and grow through the experiences we share together. 

Now this seems like I’m ranting about my life as a high schooler, but I promise there’s a point.  Through all of these negative experiences and highlights in my life, it may not be the same thing you experience, but these are not things I dwell on or regret anymore.  You need negative experiences to help you grow and learn as a person as you find yourself during these next four years.  Try new things, talk to new people, be open minded, and don’t be afraid of failure or falling out between people you thought had your best interests at heart.  Something I wished I was told when I first entered high school is that you can only find a balance in life through trial and error.  Taking those things I learned I am now going to college for Animation to learn and create art that maybe will inspire others to pursue the fields that they love.