Cross Creek Blogs

I welcome you all to the high school graduating class of July 2007. My name is Brittany Rodriguez and I am a beautiful, powerful, forgiving, and peaceful young woman. These words are a long way from where and how I felt about myself 20 months ago today. I was a prisoner of my own being. Before coming to Cross Creek, I was very unhappy with no purpose of direction in my life, all I did was fall into social peer pressure and antisocial behaviors. I was in the middle of my junior year and I was struggling severally in high school. I had failed my final sophomore semester, and on the edge of not graduating on time with my class of 2007. I was a down hill spiral with my education, and before coming to Cross Creek my education was the last thing on my mind. I was starting to get in trouble with the law. All I was learning from going to high school was how to lie, steal, cheat, and how to take the easy way out in life. This is how I became a prisoner in my own mind. I believed one day I would just wake up and everything would be okay. I know this is the same for many of us. I wanted to graduate high school, but not for the achievement of gaining an education,m to help better myself, or to become a functioning member of society. I only wanted to graduate because I wanted to feel I fit in with my peers. I felt lonely and an outcast in the world, I really assumed nobody cared. Which in turn lead me to believe this. I gave up on my education and my passions for sports. I wanted to be something but the only thing I was becoming was a joke to myself, my family, and my education. I was heading for a slow suicide. Being rebellious, making poor choices, and having no standards is what I thought was happiness. How could I get more attention and shock value? Coming to Cross Creek I discovered something I didn’t know I could have found anywhere else. Belief…belief in myself. I can do anything I put my mind too. I learned to believe in myself and believe in other to help me. The program I came to find has changed my life forever. As I stand before you all, I am a high school graduate going from a 1.2 GPA to a 2.7 GPA and a program graduate. I know have working and loving relationship with myself and my family. I have values and standards I live for myself. I have direction and pursuing college. I stand before you with my new choices I have made to better my life. I’m choosing not to be a prisoner of myself anymore. Our graduating class and myself have a lot to be grateful for. I have family and friends here to support me. I am a believer now. Anything is possible. My final thoughts are to the graduating class of July 2007. We have all done the work. now it’s time to start our new journey. Every day, hour, minute, and second we now have a chance to make a new decision in our life. Everyday we can release ourselves from being our own prisoners. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. You are the person who’ll decide where to go.” Dr. Suess. I believe in myself to do great things. Today we accomplished it, we are the results, actions of the vision or belief. Where ever you go, there you will be. Congratulations grads!! Let the journey begin!

Brittany R.

Graduated Cross Creek Mano

Honor Graduate July 2007

She presented this speech to the graduating class

Posted on December 3rd, 2007 by admin
Filed under: STUDENTS