Reflective Essay
Maria Espinoza
English 1301
Thomas McEachin
March 6, 2012
Broken Pieces of a Shattered Soul When I caught a glimpse of myself in that mirror, nothing seemed superficial. I could see my scars, my weaknesses, my broken heart, bursting out at me. I could feel the depth of the wounds and taste the foulness of being alone. Everything was so real. As the four years of “hell” arrived at my doorstep, my only worry was how on earth I would socially survive. The first year of high school was a breeze. Every day was greeted with what seemed like a bright sun bouncing with the chirping birds. Every subject came easy to me and my friends were my only topic of interest. Best friends, my boyfriends, and my family painted the perfect portrait of bliss. The naïve year of high school was gone in an instant. When I became a sophomore, I walked the halls of a teenager’s version of a concentration camp with poise. Over that summer, I transitioned from a “fishy” freshman, to a sophomore who was no longer a target on the upperclassmen’s agenda. I was comfortable with who I was and how well I had adapted to the horrors of high school. Suddenly, junior year pounded on my door. Since the first day I arrived, to what I thought would be the third year charm, I felt the darkness. I could see clouds rolling into the lives of my fellow eleventh graders and me. And just like that, tragedy struck. “We are a panther family,” Mr. Canales, our principal wept, “Jay-Jay will be missed.” As he softly spoke that simple sentence, the entire campus sobbed. Jay-Jay Trejo, a beloved football star and the best shoulder to lean on, was no longer with us. This was the first event in a chapter of misfortune at United South. In December, another incident occurred. A car crash, the kind you dreamt about only in ones nightmares. Lynsey Lira and her boyfriend, Yonatan Andrade were in a car crash that landed her in a hospital for 3 months. Yonatan, a former student at our school however, passed away.
English 1301
Thomas McEachin
March 6, 2012
Broken Pieces of a Shattered Soul When I caught a glimpse of myself in that mirror, nothing seemed superficial. I could see my scars, my weaknesses, my broken heart, bursting out at me. I could feel the depth of the wounds and taste the foulness of being alone. Everything was so real. As the four years of “hell” arrived at my doorstep, my only worry was how on earth I would socially survive. The first year of high school was a breeze. Every day was greeted with what seemed like a bright sun bouncing with the chirping birds. Every subject came easy to me and my friends were my only topic of interest. Best friends, my boyfriends, and my family painted the perfect portrait of bliss. The naïve year of high school was gone in an instant. When I became a sophomore, I walked the halls of a teenager’s version of a concentration camp with poise. Over that summer, I transitioned from a “fishy” freshman, to a sophomore who was no longer a target on the upperclassmen’s agenda. I was comfortable with who I was and how well I had adapted to the horrors of high school. Suddenly, junior year pounded on my door. Since the first day I arrived, to what I thought would be the third year charm, I felt the darkness. I could see clouds rolling into the lives of my fellow eleventh graders and me. And just like that, tragedy struck. “We are a panther family,” Mr. Canales, our principal wept, “Jay-Jay will be missed.” As he softly spoke that simple sentence, the entire campus sobbed. Jay-Jay Trejo, a beloved football star and the best shoulder to lean on, was no longer with us. This was the first event in a chapter of misfortune at United South. In December, another incident occurred. A car crash, the kind you dreamt about only in ones nightmares. Lynsey Lira and her boyfriend, Yonatan Andrade were in a car crash that landed her in a hospital for 3 months. Yonatan, a former student at our school however, passed away.