Mahadeo 1

Kyshawn Mahadeo

Dr. Smith

English 101

3/1/2019

Word count: 1091

The Day That Changed My Life

In New York City the graduation rate of high school kids was at an all-time high sitting at

74 percent, accompanied by a drop-out rate of 7.8 percent. An education is a key factor in

determining the road that someone might have to travel in order to obtain success. Without an

education one might find it hard to find a job, learn new skills, and in the extreme cases be an

adult but lack the ability to read and write. One decision I regret making was dropping out of

high school and being among the 7.8 percent of students who couldn’t make it, however I later

made the decision to continue my education. The day of my T.A.S.C. exam to receive my

diploma was one of the most stressful and fearful days of my life, but it was also the most

important and impactful. Receiving my equivalency diploma would show me that I do care about

my academic future and where I will be later in my life.

As a young child, my parents stressed the importance of an education. I remember the

days my mother would sit down with me and made sure I read a book every night before bed.

She constantly scolded me on why it was important I become great at reading, writing, math, and

science. Throughout my scholastic years I always reflected on how pivotal developing these

skills were going to be in order to move on to the next grade. But when I was in the 8th grade I
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started to lose sight of how an education would impact my life. I began misbehaving in school,

suspensions and phone calls home were now a part of my middle school experiences. I lacked

discipline and going through personal problems at home made things even worse. At the start of

high school, I thought I would hopefully learn from my mistakes, but after a couple of months

into the school year I graduated from phone calls home to cutting classes for the entire day. This

was how the next three years of my high school experience went.

As I got older and reached my third year in high school, I noticed I would always be sad

and a feeling of loss and unfulfillment encroached its way into my mind. I made the regrettable

decision to drop out of high school. I felt that I could no longer focus in school and the

motivation to sit in a class for 40 minutes just gave me anxiety. A few years after I dropped out

of school, I realized for me to survive in this country financially an education partnered with the

skills I had would be needed. I decided after conversations with my mother and my cousins’

husband who I consider to be my father figure, that I would get my high school equivalence

diploma. The G.E.D. used to be the test someone needed to take to obtain my diploma. Now the

T.A.S.C. test replaced the G.E.D. This test comprised of 295 questions, an essay, and another

written portion. The subjects on this test consisted of history, math, science, reading, and writing.

Before the real test, I had to take a practice test to determine if I would be eligible to take

the real one. The fear of failing started to fill my mind, but to my surprise I was sent to a room

where three counselors sat down with me and showed me that I scored in the 90th percentile on

each part. After briefing me on my score I was urged by all the counselors to take the real one as

soon as possible. To prepare for this test required a lot of studying, practice tests, and a lot of

motivation. On the day of the exam as I was waiting to be seated, I remember the sweat pouring

down my face and the trembling in my fingers. My throat felt as if someone had a death grip
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around it. The reality of what was about to happen was now clear. The test was taken on two

different days one on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday for four hours each day. After I

completed the test, I waited for an entire month full of stress and doubt, to learn whether I passed

or failed. I lost my appetite and isolated myself from everyone around me. The only thing I cared

about was this exam.

To my surprise one day after my mother walked into the house, she was holding a

squared envelope addressed to me. It was from the Department of Education. At first, I didn’t

know how to feel. I just stared at my mother because I knew what was in that piece of mail. It

wasn’t just an exam, a grade, or a diploma it was my future in that envelope. As my mother

placed it in my hand, I gave one last look and took a deep breath. I didn’t know whether that

breath was due to fear or relief. With my body shaking like an earthquake that threw my

equilibrium out of whack I proceeded to open the envelope. As I pulled out the dense piece of

paper, I read the words “Congratulations Kyshawn Mahadeo” for satisfactorily completing the

requirements to receive this diploma. My body went stiff, I couldn’t believe what I just read. A

sigh of relief greeted the quiet, anxiety-ridden living room we stood in. I showed my mother we

both smiled and gave she me a hug that felt an hour long. I would be lying if I said tears didn’t

fill my eyes later that day. All the stress and sleepless nights finally came to an end. My only

question now was where I would go from here. With great advice from my mother, siblings,

cousins, and friends I knew the answer.

After I received my diploma and sound advice, I applied to college. Within three months

I was notified through email that I had gotten into Queensborough Community College. This

diploma proved to me that I wasn’t a failure and that I had the ability to change my life for the

better. With a new path created in my life only the unknown now lies ahead. Since I started
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college new doors have opened for me and I couldn’t be happier. As a matter of fact, if I hadn’t

taken this test, I wouldn’t be writing this essay right now.