My High School Record Accuratley Reflects Me

When it comes to getting things done in my life I like to actually get them done.  It is important for me to always complete what I set out to do sufficiently.  My grades are usually consistent and while they are not the best they do reflect that I put in effort to my work.  It is important for me to do strong work, yet I do not stress myself out over it.  While grades are important, they are not the focus of my life.  I enjoy learning and getting good grades, but I will not go to extremes to make sure that every grade is perfect, it is an unnecessary utilization of my time.  My sports also reflect my ability to be consistent and stay strong.  I have participated in my sports every year of high school.  Even though they are a challenge, and balancing them with school work can be overwhelming at times I do understand that giving up is not an option for me.  I do wish that I could do more clubs, yet I am often pressed for time.  Overall I'd say that my school record is average and consistent and while sometimes I succeed, sometimes  I fail.  To me that is acceptable because I know that I am doing the best I can for myself and I am always trying.

Myself

My name is Leah Bernstein and I was born on July 11th, 1994.  Iv'e spent my whole life living in the small town of New Paltz, just an hour and a half north of New York City.  I spent the first 5 years of my life living with a single parent.  My mom was everything to me and I was everything to her.  Yet she didn't let me hold her back from anything, instead she brought me everywhere, whether it be sneaking me into r-rated movies or having someone watch me at the bottom of the cliffs while she rock climbed.  Even though we didn't have much, sleeping on a mattress on the floor, we still had each other and that's all that mattered to me. When I was five, my mom got married.  A lot of things  changed that day, no longer where we a unit of two.  We became more of a family, settling down and buying a bigger house.  We didn't go on  many adventures and we stopped moving from house to house.  In a way I was more content, I could finally decorate my own room and feel like I had a place of my own, but losing the adventure and spontaniety aspect of my life deeply saddened me and still does.  My brother came along when I was 6 and a half, halfway through my first grade year.  He brought so much love into my life.  I treated him as my own baby, feeding him, bathing him, and tucking him in at night.  He has made me into a much more loving and understanding being, because I would do anything for him.  I have lived through many different circumstances and experienced a lot of change.  All challenging me to become a stronger person.  Even though my life hasn't necesserily been the so called norm, it has shaped me and prepared me for what is to come.

What I do for fun in my free time

While free time is often hard to come by within my constantly buzzing life, when I do have time to enjoy myself I like to paint.    When faced with the inevitable feeling of boredoom I often feel the need to be creative.  I wander down to my basement and open up the door to my mom's art studio.  Within it contains art supplies galore.  Paintings hang on the walls, lay on the floor, and are strewn about the room.  Glitter is everywhere as I search through the pile and pull out a blank canvas.  Should I paint water color? Or should I use acrylics, maybe charcoal or tempera.  I pull three tubes of acrylic out of the bin and pluck a paintbrush from the can.  With my paintbrush and paints in one hand and my canvas in the other I make my way into the backyard and sit next to the lilac bush.  I paint the lilacs, making soft brush strokes, mixing whites, purples and blues to create dimension and shading.  The painting takes an abstract turn, as I turn the lilac bush into a purple monster.  It seems to pass the time quite sufficently as it helps me to focus and appreciate the things that go unseen in life.