By Sandra Zamarripa

The first day of school at Sanchez Charter School in Houston, I walked to my seventh grade class and was mad at the fact that my mother made me move schools last minute. I had never heard of George I. Sanchez and was not happy about attending a small school but at the end of the day I did not care about school. I was always interested in playing sports, but I had never played. One of my seventh grade teachers encouraged me to join the basketball team and so I did. I was an average student who was okay with any grade as long as I passed the class. I grew closer and closer to my coach, teachers and staff members, and also high school mentors. Slowly I began caring about my grades and even thinking about college.

During my freshman year I also joined volleyball and soccer became my passion. I was focused in sports and getting good grades so that when I was a senior I had a good GPA. I was inducted into National Honor Society my sophomore year and I was very proud of myself. With the help of my coaches and teachers I became an athlete and a leader. My counselors began encouraging me to practice doing speeches and so I did. I was becoming a young professional. I was fortunate to be able to apply to Genesys Works, a program to become a young professional and get an internship. My senior year I was working at Aza Law, taking college credit courses, and applying to universities and scholarships. I soon got the news that I was accepted to Texas A&M University with my first year paid for. I was excited and nervous to start a new journey but I knew I would miss high school.

At first, I was mad about attending a small charter school but I do not regret attending Sanchez Charter School. With time I grew as a team player, leader, professional and as a person. The staff at Sanchez Charter School truly cares about the students and creates a support system for every student. Since it is a small school every teacher and staff member knows each and every student at Sanchez Charter School. They are willing to go out of their way to help the students with family and school problems. My teachers and counselors were always there for me to motivate and help me. I was given many opportunities and had many resources open to me. I honestly do not know where I would be if I hadn’t attended Sanchez Charter School. Words cannot explain how thankful I am to every staff member at Sanchez and I would like to give back and make a difference in students’ lives.