Senior Essay "We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts.

With our thoughts, we make the world." (Siddhartha Gautama) Your thoughts - your reactions, judgements, processes and ideas and assumptions andall the ways your mind functions - are much more than an unstoppable stream of consciousness.Theyre an inward flow of the world that surrounds you, and an outward flow of yourinterpretation of whats absorbed. Each moment were blessed with our intimate relationship with life and its infinitely versatile nature, we intake unfathomable expanses of ideas which weanalyze for their significance, compare to what weve already experienced and know to be true,and at this point the wisdom becomes part of who we are - and how we think. Our minds evolve with what we experience, and how we decide to experience it. The way that we think determinesthe relationship we have with life, our minds essentially building the worlds that surround us.The way that I think is important to my life, because it determines my perspective and actionsand the kind of person that I am. This concept is one that Ive been developing recently, for alarge part because of my time at Garza. Speaking of which - my name is Cleo Emily Berry andIm the newest graduate of Gonzalo Garza Independence High School. Ive been waiting so longto be able to say that! While Id like to play it cool and act like high school is no big deal, it really has been to me. I spent three and a half years at McCallum wondering why I tried my hardestand still didnt feel the capability to thrive. Now that I can think about it in hindsight, I realizethat as much as I felt the environment was stifling me, I was limiting myself because of my mindset. I took everything that happened for granted, and let myself have knee-jerk reactions toevery situation. I let myself get behind, and then balked when life didnt simply grab my handand pull me back in line. And then, the clouds cleared and I came to Garza. All of the sudden,everything that I used to think would just happen without my involvement became entirely my responsibility - and I grabbed that and ran with it. Having my success depend entirely on myself made me get my priorities straight and reevaluate my methods to find what worked best for me, and through this, I learned so much about myself and the way that I function. And the fact thatthe environment is consistently supportive, flexible, and wholeheartedly loving gave me theknowledge that even if I wasnt feeling my strongest, I had someone who would help me get back up if I needed it. When it got closer to graduation and crunch time commenced, I had to amendmy expectations and goals, both challenging myself and making sure that I was comfortableenough to keep going. It was a battle, but Ive grown so much, and this experience has been oneof the most formative of my life. Im so grateful that I struggled at McCallum because it made merealize that I have the power to change my surroundings and mindset to set myself up forsuccess. The way that I think, while still constantly developing, is so much healthier - and withthat evolution, my confidence and appetite for life are growing insatiably.One of the best influences Ive had is the beautiful support system that surrounds me. Ihave a wonderful, unique family thats always had my back despite my changing plans. My momhas been particularly incredible throughout these years. Shes been around during my lowestmoments and has never stopped believing in me, and has been through so much walking my path next to me but has never left my side, and Im so grateful for it. My friends have beenexceptional at keeping my spirits up, and reminding me that theres an entire world outside of high school. My teachers have also been so helpful and inspiring, going above and beyond my expectations and truly showing me what a good mentor can be. I want to thank Mrs. Jimenez forall her work and support in getting me through AP Statistics, Mrs. Maragwa , Mrs. Morrow, Ms.Banks, and Mrs. Fackler for being some of the best, most helpful and relatable and admirableteachers and people Ive had the pleasure of knowing. Mrs. Roberts, Mrs. Hickerson, Mrs. T,Mrs. Espinoza, and of course, Leonard, thank you so much for being so much more than I everimagined a high school administration could be - a family. Im so grateful that I was able tofinish high school in such a wonderful environment, and that I can look back with a warm heart.Now that I can set high school happily in my past, I delight in looking to the future. Idont have many set plans yet, but I have more than enough ideas and intentions, and plenty of

time to explore my world with the positive new mindset I have. My biggest goal is to travel,experiencing new places and ventures and people, acquiring worldly knowledge that will aid mein knowing which direction to walk in my pursuit of scholarly knowledge. Im excited to have thecollege experience, but I know that Ill have to do it on my own terms, fully consciously and witha plan in mind. Beyond that, I have no idea what my world will be composed of, but I know thatI fully intend to live a conscious and grateful life.Id like to finish with a quote from my favorite book, Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins, that really highlights my philosophy on life -The most important thing in life is style. That is, the style of ones existance, the characteristicmode of ones actions is basically ultimately what matters. For if man defines himself by doing,then style is doubly definitive because style describes the doing. The point is this - happiness is alearned condition. And since it is learned and self generating it does not depend on externalcircumstances for its perpetuation. This throws a very ironic light on content. And underscoresthe primacy of style. It is content, or rather the consciousness of content that fills the void. Butthe mere presence of content is not enough. It is style that gives content the capacity to absorbus, to move us, it is style that makes us care.