"Why Am I Here?" Speeches
by the Acton Academy Eagles
Embedded Files
Over the past few weeks studio members have revisited their own personal motivations and written an ambition self-reflective speech answering the question "why am I here and where am I going next?"
Watch or read the speeches and vote on your favorite using this form.
*Watch the recorded speech video or CLICK title to see transcript text
Donovan O'Leary
Donovan O'Leary
SPEECH TRANSCRIPTQuick question for you, a very serious question. Have you ever walked outside and just screamed, “Why am I here?” Because I have. And after doing this a few times, both figuratively and literally, I’ve started to realize, it isn’t really helping. Maybe it’s because I’m too anxious at having annoyed my neighbors to actually hear the answer, or maybe it’s because I’m asking the wrong question.
Why am I here? The question to end all questions.
If you’re asking yourself, “Why am I here?” and referring to the earth, you’re in for a rude awakening. Maybe you’ll go on a road to self-discovery and find half of the reason you’re here, but unless you have some powers I’m unaware of, I’m guessing you won’t find your answer.
Instead of asking why I’m here in general, I need to start with the basics. Why am I here at school? Why am I here, pursuing a passion that some might deem useless?
I chose Acton because I wanted to be better. I knew I had the potential to be better because I was extremely mediocre at my old school and figured, “This can’t be it.” In the move about my life, I didn’t want to be an extra, I wanted to be the main character.
In life, every decision we make causes ripples. By deciding to come to Acton, I changed lives, however subtle. The reason I’m at Acton is because I don’t want to just make ripples, I want to make waves, I want to make tsunamis. And I know I can, it just helps to get a push.
My next step after Acton is college. I’m not sure what I want to do in college yet, so my next next step is figuring out what that is. I’m a junior in high school, so it’s common for people to ask me what I want to major in. Because my primary interests are artistic, my go-to answer is, “Something that won’t make me any money.”
This is a difficult question for me to answer because I have a very vague idea of what I want to do. I know I want to have a job where I get to create, direct, and be flexible. To me this means something artistic, like graphic design or film.
With this path, my next steps are to continue to work on art, find graphic design projects I can work on, and write stories and develop a writing style. I will also find contacts in creative fields to conduct interviews with and possibly apprenticeships. While I take these steps, I will also research and explore industries that are loosely tied to my interests just to see if something new catches my eye.
Among this, I am also focusing on graduating early, which I’m fortunately on track to do based on my workload. I am excited to take on this challenge and achieve this important goal.
In order to meet this goal, I have set 5 smaller goals to be completed before September 1st of this year. These goals are:
I will finish Algebra II and complete 50% of Pre CalculusI will start and hopefully complete an apprenticeship this summerI will search for a second apprenticeship to complete before graduationI will complete 2 independent genresI will write the first draft of my main college essay
I don’t have a direct path in front of me, but that’s okay. I’m willing to brave the chaos if it means I find the life I want at the end. Right now, I’m focused on bettering myself and living my life to the fullest. Acton has helped me maintain a balance of both.
I’d like to end by thanking everyone who has pushed me to be better this year. It’s hard to hear that you could do better, but in the end, this is what motivates us to achieve excellence. You’ve all pushed me to be a better student, a better learner, and a better friend. The thing about Acton is that everyone here is so unique and displays qualities that I wish I had. It’s like being the new recruit in a room full of superhumans. You see how crazy strong, smart, and fast these people are and you can’t help but train to be like them.
Aside from the help I’ve gotten this year from my peers, my family has also been a huge support system. Something different I noticed this year is that, instead of pushing me to work harder like usual, they were the ones insisting I take a break. I went a little crazy with my workload this year, and I’m grateful for the times my dad stepped in and told me to watch a movie instead of typing until my fingers bled. It was a nice change, and while in the moment I was angry at him for trying to derail me, I am grateful he was brave enough to tell me I had a problem. My mom has also been very patient and motivating with all of my ideas and projects, and her own hard work has fueled me to do better.
I have learned so much about myself and how I work with others this year, and I’m positive these lessons will lead me to the future I so desire. Thank you to everyone who helped me this year, and I hope to continue to work with you in the future.
Why am I here? The question to end all questions.
If you’re asking yourself, “Why am I here?” and referring to the earth, you’re in for a rude awakening. Maybe you’ll go on a road to self-discovery and find half of the reason you’re here, but unless you have some powers I’m unaware of, I’m guessing you won’t find your answer.
Instead of asking why I’m here in general, I need to start with the basics. Why am I here at school? Why am I here, pursuing a passion that some might deem useless?
I chose Acton because I wanted to be better. I knew I had the potential to be better because I was extremely mediocre at my old school and figured, “This can’t be it.” In the move about my life, I didn’t want to be an extra, I wanted to be the main character.
In life, every decision we make causes ripples. By deciding to come to Acton, I changed lives, however subtle. The reason I’m at Acton is because I don’t want to just make ripples, I want to make waves, I want to make tsunamis. And I know I can, it just helps to get a push.
My next step after Acton is college. I’m not sure what I want to do in college yet, so my next next step is figuring out what that is. I’m a junior in high school, so it’s common for people to ask me what I want to major in. Because my primary interests are artistic, my go-to answer is, “Something that won’t make me any money.”
This is a difficult question for me to answer because I have a very vague idea of what I want to do. I know I want to have a job where I get to create, direct, and be flexible. To me this means something artistic, like graphic design or film.
With this path, my next steps are to continue to work on art, find graphic design projects I can work on, and write stories and develop a writing style. I will also find contacts in creative fields to conduct interviews with and possibly apprenticeships. While I take these steps, I will also research and explore industries that are loosely tied to my interests just to see if something new catches my eye.
Among this, I am also focusing on graduating early, which I’m fortunately on track to do based on my workload. I am excited to take on this challenge and achieve this important goal.
In order to meet this goal, I have set 5 smaller goals to be completed before September 1st of this year. These goals are:
I will finish Algebra II and complete 50% of Pre CalculusI will start and hopefully complete an apprenticeship this summerI will search for a second apprenticeship to complete before graduationI will complete 2 independent genresI will write the first draft of my main college essay
I don’t have a direct path in front of me, but that’s okay. I’m willing to brave the chaos if it means I find the life I want at the end. Right now, I’m focused on bettering myself and living my life to the fullest. Acton has helped me maintain a balance of both.
I’d like to end by thanking everyone who has pushed me to be better this year. It’s hard to hear that you could do better, but in the end, this is what motivates us to achieve excellence. You’ve all pushed me to be a better student, a better learner, and a better friend. The thing about Acton is that everyone here is so unique and displays qualities that I wish I had. It’s like being the new recruit in a room full of superhumans. You see how crazy strong, smart, and fast these people are and you can’t help but train to be like them.
Aside from the help I’ve gotten this year from my peers, my family has also been a huge support system. Something different I noticed this year is that, instead of pushing me to work harder like usual, they were the ones insisting I take a break. I went a little crazy with my workload this year, and I’m grateful for the times my dad stepped in and told me to watch a movie instead of typing until my fingers bled. It was a nice change, and while in the moment I was angry at him for trying to derail me, I am grateful he was brave enough to tell me I had a problem. My mom has also been very patient and motivating with all of my ideas and projects, and her own hard work has fueled me to do better.
I have learned so much about myself and how I work with others this year, and I’m positive these lessons will lead me to the future I so desire. Thank you to everyone who helped me this year, and I hope to continue to work with you in the future.
Evelyn Williams
Evelyn Williams
SPEECH TRANSCRIPTQuick question for you, a very serious question. Have you ever walked outside and just screamed, “Why am I here?” Because I have. And after doing this a few times, both figuratively and literally, I’ve started to realize, it isn’t really helping. Maybe it’s because I’m too anxious at having annoyed my neighbors to actually hear the answer, or maybe it’s because I’m asking the wrong question.
Why am I here? The question to end all questions.
If you’re asking yourself, “Why am I here?” and referring to the earth, you’re in for a rude awakening. Maybe you’ll go on a road to self-discovery and find half of the reason you’re here, but unless you have some powers I’m unaware of, I’m guessing you won’t find your answer.
Instead of asking why I’m here in general, I need to start with the basics. Why am I here at school? Why am I here, pursuing a passion that some might deem useless?
I chose Acton because I wanted to be better. I knew I had the potential to be better because I was extremely mediocre at my old school and figured, “This can’t be it.” In the move about my life, I didn’t want to be an extra, I wanted to be the main character.
In life, every decision we make causes ripples. By deciding to come to Acton, I changed lives, however subtle. The reason I’m at Acton is because I don’t want to just make ripples, I want to make waves, I want to make tsunamis. And I know I can, it just helps to get a push.
My next step after Acton is college. I’m not sure what I want to do in college yet, so my next next step is figuring out what that is. I’m a junior in high school, so it’s common for people to ask me what I want to major in. Because my primary interests are artistic, my go-to answer is, “Something that won’t make me any money.”
This is a difficult question for me to answer because I have a very vague idea of what I want to do. I know I want to have a job where I get to create, direct, and be flexible. To me this means something artistic, like graphic design or film.
With this path, my next steps are to continue to work on art, find graphic design projects I can work on, and write stories and develop a writing style. I will also find contacts in creative fields to conduct interviews with and possibly apprenticeships. While I take these steps, I will also research and explore industries that are loosely tied to my interests just to see if something new catches my eye.
Among this, I am also focusing on graduating early, which I’m fortunately on track to do based on my workload. I am excited to take on this challenge and achieve this important goal.
In order to meet this goal, I have set 5 smaller goals to be completed before September 1st of this year. These goals are:
I will finish Algebra II and complete 50% of Pre CalculusI will start and hopefully complete an apprenticeship this summerI will search for a second apprenticeship to complete before graduationI will complete 2 independent genresI will write the first draft of my main college essay
I don’t have a direct path in front of me, but that’s okay. I’m willing to brave the chaos if it means I find the life I want at the end. Right now, I’m focused on bettering myself and living my life to the fullest. Acton has helped me maintain a balance of both.
I’d like to end by thanking everyone who has pushed me to be better this year. It’s hard to hear that you could do better, but in the end, this is what motivates us to achieve excellence. You’ve all pushed me to be a better student, a better learner, and a better friend. The thing about Acton is that everyone here is so unique and displays qualities that I wish I had. It’s like being the new recruit in a room full of superhumans. You see how crazy strong, smart, and fast these people are and you can’t help but train to be like them.
Aside from the help I’ve gotten this year from my peers, my family has also been a huge support system. Something different I noticed this year is that, instead of pushing me to work harder like usual, they were the ones insisting I take a break. I went a little crazy with my workload this year, and I’m grateful for the times my dad stepped in and told me to watch a movie instead of typing until my fingers bled. It was a nice change, and while in the moment I was angry at him for trying to derail me, I am grateful he was brave enough to tell me I had a problem. My mom has also been very patient and motivating with all of my ideas and projects, and her own hard work has fueled me to do better.
I have learned so much about myself and how I work with others this year, and I’m positive these lessons will lead me to the future I so desire. Thank you to everyone who helped me this year, and I hope to continue to work with you in the future.
Why am I here? The question to end all questions.
If you’re asking yourself, “Why am I here?” and referring to the earth, you’re in for a rude awakening. Maybe you’ll go on a road to self-discovery and find half of the reason you’re here, but unless you have some powers I’m unaware of, I’m guessing you won’t find your answer.
Instead of asking why I’m here in general, I need to start with the basics. Why am I here at school? Why am I here, pursuing a passion that some might deem useless?
I chose Acton because I wanted to be better. I knew I had the potential to be better because I was extremely mediocre at my old school and figured, “This can’t be it.” In the move about my life, I didn’t want to be an extra, I wanted to be the main character.
In life, every decision we make causes ripples. By deciding to come to Acton, I changed lives, however subtle. The reason I’m at Acton is because I don’t want to just make ripples, I want to make waves, I want to make tsunamis. And I know I can, it just helps to get a push.
My next step after Acton is college. I’m not sure what I want to do in college yet, so my next next step is figuring out what that is. I’m a junior in high school, so it’s common for people to ask me what I want to major in. Because my primary interests are artistic, my go-to answer is, “Something that won’t make me any money.”
This is a difficult question for me to answer because I have a very vague idea of what I want to do. I know I want to have a job where I get to create, direct, and be flexible. To me this means something artistic, like graphic design or film.
With this path, my next steps are to continue to work on art, find graphic design projects I can work on, and write stories and develop a writing style. I will also find contacts in creative fields to conduct interviews with and possibly apprenticeships. While I take these steps, I will also research and explore industries that are loosely tied to my interests just to see if something new catches my eye.
Among this, I am also focusing on graduating early, which I’m fortunately on track to do based on my workload. I am excited to take on this challenge and achieve this important goal.
In order to meet this goal, I have set 5 smaller goals to be completed before September 1st of this year. These goals are:
I will finish Algebra II and complete 50% of Pre CalculusI will start and hopefully complete an apprenticeship this summerI will search for a second apprenticeship to complete before graduationI will complete 2 independent genresI will write the first draft of my main college essay
I don’t have a direct path in front of me, but that’s okay. I’m willing to brave the chaos if it means I find the life I want at the end. Right now, I’m focused on bettering myself and living my life to the fullest. Acton has helped me maintain a balance of both.
I’d like to end by thanking everyone who has pushed me to be better this year. It’s hard to hear that you could do better, but in the end, this is what motivates us to achieve excellence. You’ve all pushed me to be a better student, a better learner, and a better friend. The thing about Acton is that everyone here is so unique and displays qualities that I wish I had. It’s like being the new recruit in a room full of superhumans. You see how crazy strong, smart, and fast these people are and you can’t help but train to be like them.
Aside from the help I’ve gotten this year from my peers, my family has also been a huge support system. Something different I noticed this year is that, instead of pushing me to work harder like usual, they were the ones insisting I take a break. I went a little crazy with my workload this year, and I’m grateful for the times my dad stepped in and told me to watch a movie instead of typing until my fingers bled. It was a nice change, and while in the moment I was angry at him for trying to derail me, I am grateful he was brave enough to tell me I had a problem. My mom has also been very patient and motivating with all of my ideas and projects, and her own hard work has fueled me to do better.
I have learned so much about myself and how I work with others this year, and I’m positive these lessons will lead me to the future I so desire. Thank you to everyone who helped me this year, and I hope to continue to work with you in the future.
Keira Collins
Keira Collins
SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
It’s only four words but they can change your life. These four words can be something that you think about for the rest of your life. Believe me, it’s worth contemplating.So, why am I here? To change the world. I know, I know, everyone says that. But it’s true. I know I’m not going to change the world like Malala or Martin Luther King Jr. But I can still alter it. I’m a writer, I’m a musician, I’m a rower, I’m a student, and I’m a friend. Though it may be a simple change, I believe that I can alter the world within these passions that I stated. How? I’m not sure yet. But that’s what life is about. Finding out the what, the when, the how, and the why. Possible career-wise, I want to publish my work and share it with the world, whether it’s in music or writing. I’ve already written a novelette, so all I have to do is get it published. I’m still figuring out what I want to do when I’m older. There are still so many doors open to me but I don’t know which one to take yet.Internally, I want to overcome resistance. This school year has been a good one for me resistance wise and I’ve been able to do everything without putting it off. But resistance still comes up when you’re not expecting it. I want to be able to see it and move past it. I will continue to work to overcome it and I will succeed. For publishing my work, at least this year. I think that is a measurable goal for me to reach. I want to continue practicing music and all the other things that are open to me for a long time, but until I specifically know what I want to do, I don’t have a set deadline. But I will choose by the end of December, 2020.For overcoming resistance, that will take me a long time and I don’t think that I will ever completely master it but I will continue to work with it.I want to publish my novelette and another short story. I want to take the time to write down what interests me and what could be a possible career choice. I want to improve with overcoming resistance and taking on distraction. I am willing to do all that I can to discover who I want to be, who I am now, and why I’m here.I would say patience. A lot of my family members have helped me to realize that accomplishing everything right now in a perfect way doesn’t need to happen. They taught me that doing everything will take time and that if you work for it now, you’ll get it sooner. But overall, it’s okay to wait.It was many struggles that went into going to Launchpad early. I had to accomplish a lot of work early to be able to do it and that caused a lot of stress. I’m glad that I went through this because I now know that if you put in the time and the work, the reward is great.It’s definitely not just one person. Multiple members of my family have pushed me to accomplish all that I can and helped me in the best ways. My friends have been there to make me laugh when the stress is too much and just be there with me. It’s never just one person to me.In the end, I am here to make a difference, whether it is in my own world or everyone else’s. Acton has definitely helped me achieve my goals and given me resources to find my calling and see who I want to become. I’ll still be figuring out who I really am for a long time but I feel confident that I know why I am here and what I can do to get to my goals. Thank you.
Holden May
Holden May
SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
Why am I here?Why Acton and not an easier school? Why walk through the tall grass when I can walk on the path? Why make the difficult decisions when I can take the easy ones?I’m here for two reasons.I’m here for a challenge, to push my limits and boundaries to create new ones. To stretch the meaning of what I thought possible.I’m also here to learn more about myself. Sure, I definitely love history and math and science, but what really interests me is learning more about me. Here at Acton, I feel like I’ve had a lifetime of personal growth in just under 3 years.What’s my next step?Now that we’ve discovered why I’m actually here, where should I move? I have a practically infinite number of ways to change, with them fitting in two big categories. I could focus on the group, or I could focus on myself. I could lean into the group, to lift others up and build the Acton community, or I could take a good look at myself in regards to core skills, or miscellaneous badges, or my next great adventures. However, I can’t continue to jump between decisions and their extremes, so I’ve decided to dedicate more time towards my NGA by finding an apprenticeship and leading my second Stars and Stepping Stones Interview.What will it take for me to get there?What I really need to get there is something that everyone wants (at least a few months ago), more time. Thanks to current events, I have this. The only other tool I need is a group to hold me accountable.Speaking of accountability, I want to thank those who’ve held me accountable this year. The best gift that I can get at Acton, is someone asking me how a project is coming along. They’re the people who push me forward and make me a better person.That’s why I want to ask for a gift from you. I want your help to hold me accountable to these goals, to my personal growth. Specifically, I want someone to hold me accountable to leading one S&S interview every month, and nail down an apprenticeship by the 31st.Thank you.
Brian Teeter
Brian Teeter
SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
Why am I here?
My whole life I’ve tried to understand what my purpose was. At all my other schools I was the most average student you could think of. I got mostly A’s and B’s with a C every now and then. I spent my afternoons at theater practice and sitting at home. My life was nothing more than that. I had some fun, but I didn’t do more with my life. I felt as though I couldn’t do more and I was being held back by teachers who had to teach going unit by unit at a pace everyone could understand.
Finally, I came to this amazing studio. Being able to be in a community of people who support my journey and also want the best for me is the thing I needed. I may have faced some up and downs, but I’ve been able to grow from the distracting person who didn’t get his work done to someone who can get work done and uplift others. I’ve learned so much about myself since I’ve been here and being able to be somewhere where we are all the same and no one is ever treated differently or outcast is something that has changed my life.
I changed schools a lot before Acton and I never really felt like I found my place. All of them had people I became friends with, but never really a whole group that I felt connected to. At Acton, there is never really a day that I don’t enjoy school. Now that I’m here, I do understand what my purpose is.
What is my next step and what will it take to get there?
In my life, my next step is to find my NGA. I just transitioned from MS to LP recently and I’m just now finding out what that NGA actually means. Now I’m at a point where I’m down to some, but I need to pick one. Do I want to do photography? Criminal Justice? Psychology? I’m trying to figure that out myself.
I know that I’ve tried to avoid NGA and not talk about it in the past. I always tell myself “I’m in 7th grade I don’t need to think about this, I’ve got time” and others have told me this too. That changed from saying 7th grade to 8th grade and now I’m in 9th grade. While I may have three more years, that time is going to go by fast and I can’t just push it back forever.
As much as I hate to admit it, growing up scares me at times, but I don’t want to be in my 20s still having no sense of direction in my life. I want to be successful, whatever that word means, but I don’t know how I’m going to get there yet. My biggest fear is failure and regret. I need to take advantage of everything I’ve been given at Acton or else my biggest fear could become a reality.
What do I need to get done between now and September 1st? When do you want to get there?
With summer most likely being spent mostly at home, there are a few things I plan to get done. One of the biggest things for me is apprenticeship. This is the shortest apprenticeship I’ve ever done, so I want to make sure I still get the most out of it. I want to finish my apprenticeship hopefully sometime in July.
Second, I want to enjoy time with my family. Both of my siblings are older than me and are already out of the house, so being able to spend time with them is always a great thing. I’m hoping I’m able to do this throughout summer, so I don’t have a specific goal as to when I want to finish this.
Third, I want to spend time thinking about my NGA. As I talked about before, I’m down to 3 paths as of now and I want to make sure when school starts up again, that I know what that is. I’m hopefully going to have finished some of this in session 7, so I want to be down to two options by the end of July.
Fourth, I want to finish my badge plan strong at the end of this year. So far, I’m on track with everything I’m doing, so I want to keep it that way as the year comes to a close. I only have 10 more badges to get, so I’m hoping to be done with all of them by July 10th, when school is over.
Finally, I want to start to build more relationships with people on LP. I’ve only been here for 2 sessions now and I really want to start to build better friendships. Since we are at home, it has been harder to do so, but I’m hoping that session 7 will give me opportunities. to build better connections. I want to have better connections with at least 2 people by the end of session 7.
Why am I grateful?
I’m grateful because I know that I’m extremely lucky. I’ve gotten so many opportunities to better myself over the past 2 years that have made my life so amazing. From being able to go to Acton, to being able to live in Austin, and having a great family is something not everyone has. Being at this Acton campus is something I can’t begin to express how lucky I am to be here.
I’m also grateful for having people like Keira and Matteo to support me on the transition from MS to LP. Having Keira to push me even further than I thought I could when I was making that transition was the best thing I could ever ask for. So, why am I grateful? Simply because there is so much to be grateful for!
Meg Hart
Meg Hart
SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
Before Acton, I was floating. I just existed. I went to school, took notes, went to dance, did homework, and went to bed. I was stuck in a cycle. A cycle without purpose and without meaning. I was that kid that sat in the back of the class and just reacted.
I forced myself to appear a certain way just so I would be included. I morphed, changed, and tried my best to fit the public school mold. I mean, I did. I did the football games, and homecomings, and the parties. I got the grades, pleased the teachers, and was a good student. I was the person who’d get asked for the answers on the homework and gave them. I was a pushover and didn’t stick up for myself or others. I was a big-time player in the peer pressure game. And, all just for appearances. I wanted to be that girl, so I did what I thought was necessary to get there. I cared, cared way too much. I wasn’t happy, in fact, far from it.
The true turning point was the dance team auditions to be a Cedar Park Celebrity. All my friends were on the JV team freshman year, but I decided not to take part in it because I wanted to focus on studio dance. It was the day of the auditions, I had my paperwork, my transcript, teacher references, but I couldn’t bring myself to hand in the paperwork. Let me tell you if I would have handed in that paperwork, auditioned, and made it, I would not be here today.
A little over a week after this decision, Katelyn walked into church and sat next to me. She started talking across the table to her friend about a new school she was going to start in January. My best friend Emory started quizzing her on what in the world she was going to do about Majestics since Emory was planning on auditioning for the same team in the spring. Katelyn started explaining the school to her and why she was going. “Self-paced, no teachers, and no grades.” I was taken by this idea because how in the world could you learn without teachers or succeed without grades?
But, something about it mesmerized me. That night, I went home, searched up “Acton Academy,” and the rest is history. Now with the year almost over, I can firmly say coming to Acton is the best decision I have made.
For lack of a better term, I had some serious culture shock coming into this year. My life took a full 180-degree turn from the class-to-class, Friday night light, Google Classroom reality to what it is now. Initially, I was still clinging to this world. I was trying to force Acton into this reality that I had known my whole life. But, after leaning into the process and system I have learned more than I ever could have back at Cedar Park.
I have taken this year to learn and adapt. Trying to submerge yourself into a world you would have never thought a year ago existed, takes some getting use to. I had to create new habits and processes for myself that I had never even thought I would need.
Throughout this year, I realized a passion for writing, clothing, and design. Being in the Acton system has helped me realize the possibility of making these passions become a reality. After being the school’s yearbook editor, these passions seem more tangible than ever. I have learned going out and doing something, only takes a bit of confidence and a passion.
Looking forward to next year I really want to take the time to start diving deep into my NGA. As I mentioned earlier, I am moving out of a transitional phase of life and into a more permanent spot. I have gotten comfortable in my own skin and am prepared to put myself out there and start digging. I have started some firm college research with the accountability of my peers. This will help me stay on track and get ahead of the college process before it gets ahead of me.
Also, with apprenticeships coming up, this will be a great opportunity to see what is really out there and try to start turning these hopes and dreams into a reality.
Moving into junior year I will be focusing on math and really getting that little section up to par. This year has been “Searvent Leaver Palooza,” which has left me little time to focus on the non-synchronous pieces. Next year I will be equipped and frankly have more time to focus on things like this.
Ok, but this is a lot of talk? What are some real steps that I can take to start creating instead of just imagining? Over the summer, I hope to complete my first apprenticeship. This will help me gauge what I need moving forward in my NGA and narrow down the tunnel of darkness. I will also be completing geometry and trig before the beginning of next school year to stay on track with my imagined graduation plan. As for the college and industry research, I will keep up with my little college support group, so we can keep cheering each other on. I also plan to talk with some of the contacts I have already made and begin building my network.
To say I am blessed to attend this school is an understatement. I literally saved my life. It has helped me see my potential and all that I am able to do. It gave me a purpose. It helped me see that there is more than grades and more than the destiny of college. I now have a reason, a purpose, and a motive.
I am forever thankful for my parents. They trusted me to make this call and have trusted me all along this journey. This was a big leap of faith and big move out of their comfort zones. Without them, I would not be able to do the things I do.
Lastly, I am thankful for this community. Thank you for the funny texts and crazy rituals. Thank you for accepting me. Thank you for allowing me to be here. Thank you for the love and support you show.
Addie Maher
Addie Maher
SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
I’ve been at Acton for seven years now. I would be a very, very different person at another school, with another group of people, in any other place. It has not been easy— without the difficult parts of this journey, I would never have gotten to experience the incredible ones. That’s the first part of why I’m here. I think Acton is preparing me for adulthood and my hero’s journey in a way no other school could. For all that it’s important, however, it’s also fairly surface level. “Find a calling, change the world!” and all that jazz.On another note, Acton has allowed me to discover myself and become someone who I respect. It’s not so much about the whole, “finding a calling!” thing as it is about the people and the community. I can question myself without turning that into self-doubt (sometimes), be confident in who I am (most of the time), and still strive to produce excellent work (always) because of what I’ve learned at this school.
So in a broader sense, the first and second reasons are the same. I am at Acton because I want to be at Acton, and I want to be at Acton because I think it’s the best place for me. Acton itself doesn’t just make me a better person, but it’s the best tool I have to become the person I want to be.
Who do I want to be? I’ve always wanted to write, and for a while, that meant I wanted to become a journalist. But as I’ve thought about my passions more and more, I’ve realized that my writing style and the way my passions manifest are less suited to nonfiction than they are to fiction. It took a while to understand this because I’d told myself for a long time that I was incapable of writing fiction at all.
But the more I think about it, the more I start to see how I care more about style than I do about facts, proof, or “good journalism”. I enjoy good characters, interesting narratives, and people who do things for love or for revenge. I don’t as much enjoy writing about the real world, because it’s harder to shape the real world into what you want.
All this goes to say that my next step is to carve out a path writing fiction, preferably novels. The sticking point for me right now is whether or not I want to go to college since it’s debatable if a creative writing degree has value. There’s this dream in the back of my mind to be an English major at Trinity College in Dublin, but at the same time, that’s ridiculous. English majors are useless! Except I really, really want to write fiction, and an English major sounds so literary and glamorous. So where do I go next?
I need to take a few important steps to gather information and work towards a choice I can be confident in. Basically, I need to do a lot of research, a lot of talking with people I trust, and S&S interviews with successful published authors. After that, I’ll be able to make a much more informed decision on college.
Next year I’ll be a junior. It’s a scary thought. I don’t feel ready in any way, shape, or form to decide on the question of college, but the time to make those decisions is where I’m headed. I want to be sure of the path I’m pursuing by the time I take the SAT for the first time next year. Feeling confident about my calling will hopefully rub off on my test scores. That means that between now and December, I need to dive deep into S&S interviews and research.
My specific goals are to do three S&S interviews and one deliberate practice course in the first half of junior year. Over the summer, I hope to do one of those interviews with an author I admire (V.E. Schwab, or an author like her), and decide on a creative writing course. Plus, I will do research on college in general as well as the specific schools I’m interested in. Hopefully, I can also plan college visits with my family if quarantine doesn’t last too long.
To conclude, the future is scary. Terrifying. Thoughts of next month, next year, or college tend to produce a deer-in-the-headlights effect when they catch me by surprise. Despite that, however, I’m tentatively excited for what’s to come. And even more importantly, I’m incredibly grateful that I even have the privilege and the resources to imagine the future I want. I am grateful for Acton, my family, and my incredible luck in being born onto this earth, into this life.
Katelyn Dishinger
Katelyn Dishinger
SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
Throughout my academic career I went on thinking that I wasn’t enough. That I wasn’t smart enough to reach school standards. I was simply average. And sometimes I was a failure. At least that’s what my grades told me. I remember after every math test waiting anxiously for the papers to be handed back, hoping that this time maybe my best was enough. It most often was not. I tried as hard as I could but to no avail. My grades didn’t reflect the hours spent studying and practicing. My parents helped as much as they could, and supported me even through the failure. What I could never figure out was how some of the kids around me were doing so much better and seemingly not having to work at all. I thought it must be me. There is something wrong with me. Even in High School I was in all on level classes while the majority of my friends were in all PreAP. My grades even then were at most times a let down. They reflected that I was just below average. It’s funny because once you are told something over and over again throughout a long period of time you eventually begin to believe it. This message that my grades reflected on me was that I wasn’t quite good enough. And the result of me believing this was that I began creating mental roadblocks for myself. “You should try a PreAP class” “No I can’t I’m not good enough” “You should try out for the varsity drill team” “No I’m not good enough” These are just a few thoughts that would go through my mind. It was only when I removed those roadblocks that I finally began to see just how far I could push myself. I took a risk and tried out for the varsity drill team and was surprised to find out that I made it. The moment that I found out was one of the most life changing events of my life. I know that may sound dramatic, but it was the first moment in my life that I felt as though I was enough. I had made it. Even when I was on the team though, I wasn’t performing to the best of my ability. The mental roadblocks came back and even though I had made the team, I still felt as though I wasn’t good enough to fit in with the rest of the girls. Because I had a very toxic friend on the team that would reinforce the lies. “I wasn’t as good as everyone else” “ I was a sore thumb” “It was a fluke that I had made it on the team” I continued to think this way throughout my entire season, and it began showing in my dancing. It wasn’t until I met someone named Paige that I finally knew what it was like to have a real friend. She had barely known me for 5 seconds but had already shown me more kindness than any of my “friends” back at my school. She was the encouragement and the confirmation that I needed to get to take a leap of faith and apply for Acton Academy. When I came to Acton, I found myself performing greater than I ever had. There were finally no longer any roadblocks. No grades to tell me that I was less than. And it was here that I finally learned that a person can’t be defined by a number. I began to think that maybe I was a good student. But it was only when I taught myself in school and was guided and taught by other students that I really figured this out. I know it is said a lot, but this school changed my life and I will be forever grateful for it. Without it, I would have continued to think that I wasn’t enough and who knows where those thoughts would have taken me. I am here because coming to Acton reminds me that I am enough and that I am capable of much more than I ever thought possible,Throughout my time here at Acton I can honestly say that I have grown as a leader in more ways than one. I have built relationships with strong leaders around myself and these relationships have helped teach me what it takes to balance warm-hearted and tough-mindedness. I have learned to embrace my warm-heartedness but have also learned that it is okay to be honest in a critique and to be tough-minded. This is an aspect of myself that I have just recently discovered and continue to explore.The most important thing that I have learned here is that I have a voice. Acton has taught me how to use that voice and how to be bold with my ideas.
My main goal at the moment is to graduate High School. But instead of just checking boxes until I can leave, I want to find a way that I can impact the community I am so fortunate to be a part of. I want to leave something behind that will help future eagles. I haven’t quite figured out what that will be yet but I’ll find it someday.
My time here has also been spent finding my calling and my next great adventure. I was able to embrace career ideas that I had kept myself from before. I was able to welcome the idea of “maybe college isn’t the path I want to take” After much searching I have found a career that has fit every need and every passion that I possess. That career is makeup in the film industry. I have always felt drawn to film. As a little kid after watching my favorite movies my next stop was to watch the behind the scenes footage and gain as much knowledge as possible on the production. Even my friends will tell you that I am constantly filming things. I discovered this passion through watching some of my peers who also possess a great passion for the film industry. I found that my passion for character development and art are both welcomed in this field. My friends have helped a great deal in nurturing that idea and helping me along the film industry path.
I wouldn’t be where I am without the community that constantly surrounds me. They push me to my limits but in the best way possible. And they have shown me what it’s like to have a group of friends that are rooting for you. I feel so blessed to be a part of this community.
In a sense I am returning to my origins. This summer I have secured an apprenticeship with my last drill team and I am returning with much more knowledge and much more confidence. I believe that this experience will help give me much leadership experience as the director I am apprenticing under is top notch. She is someone who cares about me but will no doubt help me learn along the way. I am excited to return to my old school with my new found knowledge of just how far I can push myself. This will truly be a full-circle moment and I am excited to see what this summer will hold.
I want to take these last few minutes to thank a few people. First and foremost I want to thank my parents. They have always been supportive of me in my pursuit of anything. Even when I was back at public school, they were never hard on me because of my somewhat lacking grades. They were always content with them because they knew I was doing my best. Next I would like to thank my friends here at Acton. They welcomed me with open arms and have always stuck by me through the good, the bad, and the ugly. They have shown me what it means to be a true friend as cliche as that sounds, but it’s true. Lastly I would like to thank Mrs. Laura, Mr. Jeff and Chase. We wouldn’t be here without Mrs. Laura and Mr. Jeff and they model for us everyday what it means to be strong leaders. And Chase is always there for us. Whether it be a simple hello in the morning as we walk in or a check-in discussion, he’s always there and I thank him for being there to support us. Thank you all for listening to a bit of my journey and where it has taken me. I can’t wait to see where I will be a year from now. Until then good luck on your journey as well.
Patrick O'Leary
Patrick O'Leary
SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
I want to be at Acton for many reasons. First off Acton does not only allow us to express ourselves but encourages it. This school does not force people towards one type of career or another. This school truly wants what is best for each and every student, and that is not only rare in the schooling system, it is rare in the world. This type of openness is what I have been taught growing up and is now being reinforced by this school which is a big asset for me as I transition into the next part of my life, a life where I will have to express myself and be ok with other people expressing themselves good or bad, and still accept them for it. This type of acceptance is also shown through the Acton culture.
This school culture helps to prepare its students for how punishment is going to work in the real world. In the Acton system, we are not treated like kids. Yes, I understand we are not adults, but we are also not middle school prepubescent little runts anymore. Most teenagers understand a lot about how the world is run and how things work. We are people with opinions and ideas about how the world works, and most of all, teenagers understand the concept of work-based reward systems. That last one may seem to not fit in with the rest list right away, but In most highschool schools the concept work based reward systems are near nonexistent. There is no incentive to do well school other than a grade. There is no reward for being quiet, just punishment for being loud. Additionally, highschoolers understand and can handle self-paced work, but since “that is not how life works” most highschools force every kid to fit in the same box. Acton doesn’t subscribe to the same ideology. The Acton system acknowledges that high school students understand most of life’s inner working and allows for that maturity to flushes by giving us the freedoms of the real world along as we earn it.
All that is great but how am I going to use lessons and freedoms to further myself. My next step as I progress along my schooling is obtaining an apprenticeship in the world of sports media so I am able to further my goal of finding my calling. Additionally, I am going to deliberately practice becoming a good leader as I become one of the more senior eagles in the studio. Furthermore, over the summer I am going to make myself more self-reliant by taking coding courses and coding games.
To be more specific, By the end of session seven, I want to have an apprenticeship, be halfway through a coding course,be halfway through with a leadership course, complete all my batteries for the year, and be 50% done with algebra 2.
To close, I want to thank everyone who has helped me on my journey here at Acton. Mr. Jeff and Chase who were never scared to ask the hard questions, and hold up a mirror even in the toughest of times. My Mom and My brother for being a guiding force in my life, always there to help me on my journey during thick and thin the good and the bad. My studio mates, the people who always pushed me to be the best version of my self, but also accept me the way I am. I can not express how much that means to me.
Finally, I want to thank the entirety of the Acton Community. Without all of you, I would not be the student I am today. I would be the same friend I am today. I would not be the same person I am today. Without this community, I would be lost, scared, and not ready for what is to come. But because of you, I am no longer wondering, no longer scared, no longer fretting what is to come. Instead, I am ready for what life has in store for me. I know what I want to do after high school. And most of all I am confident in myself and my ability. So again, thank you and have a great rest of your day.
Aanika Dalal
Aanika Dalal
SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
I never wanted to go to Acton.It’s not that I had anything against the school, I just didn’t want to leave mine. Unlike a lot of people, I actually enjoyed school. I was lucky enough to have an amazing group of friends and I was “good” at it, as my learning style fits well with the traditional school system. I am perfectly comfortable reading from a textbook, studying, and taking a test.
So, I was convinced that I didn’t want to go to Acton. Fortunately, I have a stubborn mother who pushed me to “just apply”, but I remained adamant against the idea all the way up until we arrived on campus for the interview. And, during those 45 minutes on campus, I was convinced that it was where I wanted to be. I’m still unsure as to what about the experience changed my mind, but I am glad that it did.
Originally, I came to Acton for freedom. I wanted to be in charge of my own education, have the ability to move through the material as fast as I would like, and make the most of my time. However, reflecting back over the past two years, I now know that self-paced learning, although beneficial, isn’t close to the most important thing I have gained.
First and foremost, Acton has taken me out of my comfort zone. As I mentioned above, I’m at my best when studying, reading from textbooks, or taking tests. What I am not good at, however, are things like taking on leadership, being tough-minded, public speaking, networking, etc. All skills that are crucial for me to live the life I want, but that I wouldn’t have been able to develop as much in public school.
I have always shared Acton’s core values of the importance of finding a calling, doing excellent work, having a growth mindset, personal development, and developing a love for learning. However, because of my personality, even though my parents never cared about grades, I found myself completely caught up in the day-to-day studying and homework. I was spending all my time doing work that was urgent, but not very important. Acton has allowed me to start focusing on the things that are most important, even though they aren’t urgent, something I would have never gotten to do in public school.
Furthermore, coming to Acton has allowed me to for the first time be around people with similar values and drives as me, and that has inspired me and given me the courage to really live by those values and work towards being a better person.
Acton is not perfect, in fact, it is far from it, but after coming to Acton I now know what it is that I want to get out of my life and I think that is something very few people are given the opportunity to figure out and I am grateful for that. I don’t want to live an ordinary life, I want to dream big and live a life that I am proud of. Too many people just drift along just satisfied, or content without having the courage to dream for more.
So, how will I make the most of the rest of my time at Acton? What are my next steps?
Over the course of the last two years, I have slowly hammered away at trying to find my calling. It has been a slow, frustrating process but, fortunately, with lots of help from others, I have been able to make a lot of progress.
When I first started at Acton I had absolutely no idea where I wanted to go. I didn’t even know if I wanted to go into STEM or a liberal arts field. However, through my experiences at Acton, I now know I would like to pursue a career at the intersection between health care and machine learning. This is still a relatively broad area, but it is a huge improvement from where I started.
Over the course of the next two years, I need to determine a specific, concrete why statement for my NGA, develop a greater understanding of my industry, and the skills needed for success, as well as starting to get real-world experience in the field.
Specifically, by the end of the summer, I would like to achieve the following:
Complete Harvard’s Introduction to Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Courses, find a computational neuroscience lab doing interesting research and start building up the skills and knowledge to get a job with them, work towards completing my academic requirements, including Spanish II, Music, and Linear Algebra, and, finally, start preparing to take the ACT in the fall.
To conclude, I would like to take the time to thank all of the people who have helped me on this journey and made my life so much more meaningful. I have been incredibly fortunate to have been given the opportunities that I have, and I believe that it is my responsibility to make the most of them in a will one day serve those who weren’t as lucky.
Thank you.
Sam Sandefer
Sam Sandefer
SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
Why am I here?I’m lucky to have been going to Acton since 1st grade. At first, I was there because of my parents. I didn’t recognize the disruption in education that was truly happening. From the start, Acton was different than any other school. While it resembled much of a Montessori school, it was more than that. Soon, I began to realize how special this school was. I finally felt curious, I felt excited to learn, I felt like there was no other school for me. Fast forward to LP, when now I am at Acton for too many reasons to count. It has been an honor to watch Acton grow across the world, to see the disruption that started in that little house with just seven of us. That alone is enough reason why I am here, but to add to that, I am here to pursue a calling, to learn valuable lessons, and because I look forward to going to school instead of dreading it like other kids my age. I get to learn to learn and learn to be, not just to learn to know. Now, with one year left at Acton, I will continue to prepare for my future. I plan to go to college for industrial engineering to then go into turnarounds and leveraged buyouts or LBOs. My senior year is a great opportunity to pursue this, however, college leaves seniors with a problem. Say you choose to do early application, which happens in around November. Besides anxiously waiting, there isn’t much more to do for 6 or 8 whole months. This is where I want to get ahead for my NGA. In order to get experience in the real world before I depart to college, I will get a job in my NGA. If I find a great job, I may even deffer college a year and spend a year in the real world before gaining a degree. If I do that, I can get even further ahead on my NGA. So what are the short term goals for that plan? I have five specific goals that build up to my overarching goal. I want to get the following goals done before September 1st:I will finish my C&V course Finish my LSS Black Belt course and pass the testFinish my MBA Operations course Secure a second apprenticeship for this yearAnd finally, do 2 or more stars and steppingstones interviewsNow is the time for me to start working towards these goals. My time at Acton is valuable and finite. I am grateful for all the time I have had at Acton and for the time left. I would not be the person I am today if it wasn’t for this school and the people at it. I know how lucky I am to get to go to this school, especially from the start. Only 7 people in the entire world have had the education opportunity I have had so far, and now with nearly 300 Actons across the world, more people will the same experience. I am deeply thankful for being here and am excited for my next and last year at Acton.
Eli Carl
Eli Carl
SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
Why am I here?
When I start thinking about the reason for why I’m here, a couple of reasons come to mind, but I’ll stick with two for this question.
The first reason I’m here is to develop into a stronger person mentally and character wise, and in the time I’ve been at Acton, I think I’ve developed majorly on both of those. I’m far from a perfect person, and along with alot of other people at this age, I’m learning how to deal with the eventual problems that come with maturing as a person. I’m also learning how to manage my time better, how to deal with various anxieties in healthier ways (a big part of that is not equating my self worth to school), cutting out habits that I resorted to in order to hide from those anxieties (procrastination, lying, etc). I feel that if I went to an easier public school, I could probably get by without having to face these problems and challenges, and I would simply be worse off because of it. If I’m going to face these inevitable problems, I’d rather face them head on now rather than wait until my list of priorities starts to become a lot larger and a lot more important. I wish I could fast-forward to the point in my life where I have all of it figured out and make money following my calling, but that’s just not how the world works. Even if it did, it’s always the failures (and how we learn from them) that develop our character, not our successes.
The second reason I’m here is to learn more about my own calling. I always feel like this is the part of Acton that I’m kind of missing out on because of my own habits and behaviors, so I’m trying to spend more time developing ways to give myself more time to spend on studying what I want to do after high school. I’m lucky in that I have a pretty good idea of the career paths I’m interested in (either psychology or performing arts, specifically magic), but I know that there’s so much more information and experience I can get from interviews, deliberate practices, and NGA books.
What is your next step?
Right now, my biggest step is simply getting to a place in the work I have where I feel comfortable putting more time into NGA work. I know that’s kind of vague (and I’m trying to find more ways to specify it), but through focusing on that next step, I’m learning about how to tackle the things that make my life harder than it needs to be. Things like time mismanagement, anxiety, procrastination, and distraction only work to hamper my life, and as I’ve stated previously, it’s necessary for me to conquer these things now rather run away from them if I want to live a satisfying life.
What will it take to get there?
Implementing life-long habits and mindsets. It’s really about putting practices in place that work to my own mental and emotional health, as I’ve found that if I don’t put time and effort into maintaining that, my quality of life simply becomes worse because of it. Small things like meditation, getting enough sleep each night, and getting my work done at a healthy pace are necessary if I want to keep stress and anxiety under control, as well as just generally keeping a more positive mindset about my work and myself.
When do you want to get there? Preferably by September 1st (with the end of Session 1 being the absolute latest I want to get there). I feel that with the amount of work I have, this is a realistic time frame for me to get the work that I need to get done. Besides SL work, I want to be on track with everything else at Acton, and while I know that this will be hard, it’s the only way I can both feel good at Acton and keep my anxiety/stress down. What do I need to get done between now and September 1st? 5 Independent Genres Algebra II 4 Deep Book badges 100-hour Civ Course Reach Checkpoint 5 on Spanish Duolingo Who has helped you this year? How? Why are you grateful for that person?My mom. She really understands the roadblocks and challenges I’ve struggled with this year, but she’s never let me use them as excuses. She’s told me that a person must struggle with internal and external challenges if you ever want to be a person of any interest, and that the way we perceive ourselves can really influence how effectively we handle those challenges. She’s had plenty of opportunities to be angry and annoyed at me (and she has certainly expressed some of those feelings with me), but she’s always understanding of my mistakes and failures.
What gifts has someone given you, even if only time and attention?Again, my mom has given me a ton of support this year, even when I was at my lowest points. Whether it be advice or just comfort, I’m really grateful that I don’t have to face all of these challenges totally alone.
What challenge or struggle are you grateful you had that has helped shape your character?I think the two honor codes I received this year were a stark reminder that my anxiety and destructive behaviors had gotten out of control, and actually learning how to face those internal fears has helped shape my character massively. While I’m still dealing with the fallout of that behavior (and still struggle with anxiety), I’ve found that the struggle of recognizing it and working hard to move forward and learn from my mistakes has made me a stronger person.
How and when have you pushed past Resistance, Distraction or the Victim Mentality? Why are you grateful for the growth?I feel that I’ve done a good job of rubbing away victim mentality from my life, as when I was in the midst of my anxiety and really unaware of how unhealthy it was, I was partially convinced that the universe was making my life suck. “Why can’t I be like him?” “I bet they have it easier than I do”, these were the types of things I’d tell myself in order to avoid actually facing the problem, and while those feelings still come around every once and awhile, I’ve found that I can largely discredit them.
Ian Watson-Hemphill
Ian Watson-Hemphill
SPEECH TRANSCRIPT
Why am I here?
I am at Acton Academy for several reasons. First, Acton’s learning environment allows me to progress at my own pace towards my Next Great Adventure. At any other place, I would practically have to stumble onto my NGA. Here, with hard work, I know I will continue to discover mine. Second, as I dream of working in the education industry, Acton is a prime example of how to help others learn. Finally, Acton has definitely allowed me to learn new habits that I’m very glad to have.
What is your next step and what will it take to get there?
My next step is to find a deliberate practice that will help me with my NGA. To do that, I’ll need to be creative, open-minded, and have a good mindset. Looking at the bigger picture, my next step is to get enough real-world experience and academic credit to not be lost while in college. After all, don’t I want to succeed in the real world once I leave Acton?
When do you want to get there?
I want to get there by the end of the first session of next year (for the first goal).
What do I need to get done between now and September 1st?
I need to finish the Apprenticeship Prep Badge by the end of Session 6 of this year.
I need to finish my AP Physics work on a high note by the end of Session 6 of this year.
I need to research a possible Independent Genre to further my NGA by the end of this year.
I need to continue researching college requirements to develop my plan for next year by the end of this one.
Finally, I need to finish this year with my Badge Plan on track so that I’m free to explore my NGA more next year.
Close:
First, I’m grateful for the challenge of trying to pass the AP Physics 1 test. Not only have I learned lots of physics, but I’ve also learned more about my motivational habits and how I can improve. Second, I’m grateful for being able to push past the depths of Distraction during this challenging time. Finally, I’m grateful to the Acton community for supporting me and helping me get closer to my NGA.
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