Life Changing Moment. "Link in the chain"

A certain moment in my life that turned out to be the main reason that my life is the way it is now was my decision to not stay for the ninth grade at Fairfield Country Day school. As I approached the end of my eighth grade year at FCDS I was faced with a tough decision; leave the school that I had been at for the last five years prematurely, or spend one more year there and finish the ninth grade. I had weighed my options for most of the winter and spring. Originally I had wanted to go to Avon Old Farms where my older brother was but I wasn’t ready to be on my own yet. By late March I decided that I would not spend my ninth grade year at FCDS but instead I wanted to try something totally new and attend the high school in the town I live in; Naugatuck.

At the time I did not realize how big of a decision this would be but it would later affect my life in a big way. I traded in the only school I knew for an experience that I would have never gotten if I decided to stay that extra year. At Naugatuck high school I finally got to see another side of the education system and society. I met all different types of people experienced new things and learned that there was more out there than just Fairfield Country Day School. Another big change that Naugatuck high school brought was sports. At Fairfield Country Day School, in the eighth grade I was basically the most physically gifted and athletically blessed student in the school, especially on the football field. I barely stepped foot in a weight room and didn’t work very hard. When I got to Naugatuck high school I wasn’t the strongest, or the fastest, or the most gifted anymore. I can vividly remember the way I felt after my first practice. I was extremely upset because I realized that my accomplishments in middle school meant less than nothing in high school. I was at the bottom of the barrel and I finally learned how it felt to work for a spot on the field. I went on to have a very good freshman season.

I had made a name for myself. By the end of my freshman year I had made connections with a lot of people and had caught the attention of coaches and people locally for my ability on the field. Although I was enjoying my time at Naugatuck high school I needed a greater challenge academically so at the end of my freshman year I enrolled at Sacred Heart high school. 

There I had a very commendable sophomore football season and was a two way starter. I played well enough that season to catch the eye of Boston College. I never would have imagined that I would be noticed my after my sophomore season. That summer after my sophomore year I got noticed by three colleges with d1 football programs. Earlier that year I heard about a great opportunity at a school named Kingswood Oxford from a friend of the family, and decided to look into it.

I now realize that if I hadn’t made the decision to change schools after the eighth grade I wouldn’t be where I am today. If I would have stayed at FCDS I would have never got to meet the many different people I met at Naugatuck high or matured as an athlete. Also If I never would have decided to leave FCDS I probably would have never had a good enough sophomore football season to catch college’s attention.