**The Educational Journey of Rodneysha Brown

“A bright future lies before you.” Throughout my life, I have been told by various individuals who saw something in me that I did not originally see in myself. Every since elementary school, I had always worked hard to bring home straight A’s. It was not because my mom threatened to punish me if I did not, but to me, school was fun and interesting. I was excited about going to school every day and being able to come home and tell my mom what I had learned. At the elementary school level, I was unaware of the benefits associated with being successful academically, but once I entered middle school the rewards of being a great student were revealed to me. My educational career thus far has been an extremely successful one. I have always strove for the best and accomplished just that.
In middle school, I was enrolled in the honors courses that were available. The teachers noticed my work ethic and pushed me to work even harder. While in middle school, I never received a grade lower than an 89 on my report card. One of the most significant academic moments for me was when I was announced as the valedictorian of my middle school graduating class. Before this point, I had never really been notified of the significance of being the valedictorian. I had no preset intentions of being the valedictorian, but once I accomplished this goal at the middle school level, I begin to notice what others had seen in me from the tender age of five or six. I decided that I would work extremely hard throughout my high school educational year and earn the title of valedictorian.
I entered Frederick Douglass High school in 2005 as a shy reserved ninth grade student. Many people had told me that this transition would be one like no other, so I did not know what to expect. I came to the school in the magnet program, so I was enrolled in all honors courses. I knew that the workload would be difficult, but I was prepared and ready to take on the challenge. Upon completion of my ninth grade year, we had an assembly were our rankings in our class were announced. In the ninth grade, I was announced as the individual with the second highest GPA. Although I had worked hard throughout my first year in high school, I realized that I would have to work even harder to guarantee that I graduate in 2009 as the valedictorian of Frederick Douglass High School. From that point on, I did everything possible to ensure that my grades were of excellent quality. On May 26, 2009, I stood before family and friends of the Frederick Douglass Class of 2009 as the valedictorian.
My educational journey is one that I am extremely proud of. My mom has raised me single handedly for all eighteen years of my life, and everything that I do, I do with her in mind. I strive to succeed in school to make her proud and realize that her amazing efforts as a single parent paid off.