Perseverance

Gabrielle Doss

College Essay

I woke up one morning thinking it was going to be like any other day, but I was sadly mistaken. I was driving home from school like any other day, but this would end up not being like any day I would want to remember. I will never forget the feeling I got when my friend sent a message in our group text chat with the comment in all caps “ check your email.” As I started to read, I could barely make it past the first sentence without crying. The email was sent from our school administration notifying us that my high school, Ladywood, would be closing its doors at the end of the school year. The memo talked about enrollment and declining numbers. None of that seemed to be in focus for me, as I was devastated. All I knew was that my home for the last two years was falling apart.

When I am asked about Ladywood and why it was so special, I remember back to the day I shadowed. From the first day I walked into the school to shadow, I knew that this would be a great fit for me, and I would love coming to school. It was the high school for me, and it was horrible to know that I was not going to finish my senior year at Ladywood. I was filled with so many emotions. I spent the better part of the night crying. My parents tried to console me, but honestly, they were just as upset with the situation. I was filled with fear and sadness. The fear of not knowing what to do because the school was so amazing. What made it amazing is easy to sum up in just a few words. It was a family. It started at the top with the teachers and staff and filtered down to the students.

To me Ladywood was an extension of my family at home. The principle greeted us with warm yet comedic at times hello’s. For me it was always the same, “ Hello Ms. Doss.” I felt special to know that she knew my name. I have one experience in particular that stands out. I stayed after school everyday in the afterhours program until my dad was able to pick me up after work. There was always a teacher there to supervise. I am not the strongest test taker and have always had to work very hard to achieve academic success. The teachers always went out of their way to help. This particular time, my former math teacher went above the norm for anyone in teaching. His name was Mr. Marshal. He taught my freshman math class.

Mr Marshal was leaving for the day and saw me studying in the cafeteria. As he walked by, he yelled “see you later Gibby!” I said goodbye with a half hearted smile. He immediately came up to me and asked what I was studying. It was geometry. What happened next is what makes me truly miss my time at Ladywood. He took off his hat and coat, said “move over” and helped me review for my test until my dad came to the door. It was over an hour. Many people say, well that’s a person, not a school. I argue that is the school, because that was how it was all the time. I felt like it mattered if I was successful . I was just as important as the 4.0 students, the honors AP students, me, Gabrielle Doss mattered. This is just one example of how the school was so amazing. I also had the opportunity to meet some of my best friends.

The girls at Ladywood were the embodiment of sisterhood. It was the overall feeling. Don’t get me wrong, there was the typical hazing of upper class man to the lower class man but It was all in good humor. The pep rallies were about community. They were about building strong, independent women. We laughed and learned about healthy competition. Little did we know that this was setting the foundation for one of life’s disappointments. In my two years at Ladywood, I attended funerals for my fellow students who lost parents and siblings. We stood by each other and the school encouraged us to unite and stand by one another. We attended dances with goofy themes where we could be silly and act like kids. Ladywood was the one place where I could go in and truly be myself. I wasn’t worried about what people thought. When I was given the nickname Gibby, it wasn’t just embraced by friends. I heard shoutouts from seniors and teachers as I walked by the halls. All warm hellos or simply great job! What really made me the most upset was knowing I was going to have to find a new school and it would not be with the friends or teachers I came to love. I felt as if the world was ending.

The next day after the email was sent I remember the faces on everyone because we all looked the same. Puffy bloodshot eyes from crying all night. This was a hard day because everyone had so many questions and nobody could make sense of the situation. I was just so shook about it because literally the day before me and my friend group were talking about how we can’t wait to be like the seniors and go on spring break. Now we needed to be thinking of where we will be attending our last two years. Ladywood was very accommodating and they wanted to make this the best year they possibly could for all of us. The whole week went by very slow and lots of tears were shed. The friday of that week my group of friends and I shadowed at St. Catherines for what they called the Ladywood shadow day. It had to have been one of the hardest days because I felt judged the whole day. The girls were not very nice. I went to sit at a table for lunch and they all told me to go away. All I wanted to do was cry. Not me or my friends enjoyed the school but there are not many options by my house. There was not a lot of discussion. I had a sister that would be a freshman in the fall and it seemed like the best option. What made it even harder is my friends would be going to other schools.

I am currently attending St. Catherines. It was a very hard transition because none of my friends went to the same school and I felt that made the school year even harder. I no longer have that excitement in the morning to go to school. This was sad to me because at Ladywood I would get so excited to learn. The school itself wanted everyone to succeed so they were willing to do what they could so that even those who did not learn the same as others were able to get good grades. I am in my second year at St. Catherines. I feel that it is just another high school and it is only two years of my life. This is very sad to say, but it just doesn’t feel like home or the right place for me. I have friends and have some laughs but it just will never be the same. There are no dances to bond with your fellow students, no poster making parties for pep rallies. I have learned from my situation and I am stronger.

In closing, my experience with Ladywood closing, has taught me some very important life lessons. Make no mistake, I am not a victim. I walk the halls with my head held high and proud. I focus on gratitude. Gratitude that I was able to transition to another catholic school. I am thankful for the new relationships that I have made with teachers and students. I have tried to leave my mark at St. Catherines. This is how change comes to be for the future. People like me sharing experiences. I was given the opportunity of a life lesson. Disappointment, grief, anger and finally forgiveness. Forgiveness and understanding. Having to transition schools my junior year I think was a very good teaching moment. It has given me skills to handle job situations better and when close people in your life come and go. I would not trade my experience going to Ladywood. Even if i knew it was closing I would still have chosen to go there because it has taught me so much about life. Not just learning academics , but for the real world. I will always cherish the friendships I have made. I learned to always choose kindness because you never know what people are dealing with personally. What I will hold onto most though, are the friendships that i would never have known if I did go to Ladywood.