The most important thing that I have learned in high school is responsibility. Each student is responsible for his or her actions. At this age, I am constantly confronted with temptations. It is oftentimes hard to resist, but it is what seperates the responsible students from the irresponsible ones. One must be honorable and trustworthy. The most valuable respect that you can get is from yourself. Only you know the whole truth. Nothing else matters. If you work hard, you will get what you deserve. If a student decides to cheat he must live with the consequences for the rest of his life. The consequences do not just include what might happen if he is caught, but what conscience that will always remember.

When a goal is set, it is not only important whether it is reached, but how it was done. Last year I had a very hard time in a class. The problem was that many students were cheating and getting good grades and the teacher thought that he was teaching the material well. I listened to his lectures carefully in class and studied hard at home, but my grades were never as high as the other students. It was hard for me to accept that I was working harder, but was not doing as well. I ended up getting a "B" in that class, and being very proud of myself. Looking back, I see that I did the right thing by not sacrificing my integrity for a grade. Work is always valued over trickery or taking the easy way out. I now know first hand what that feels like.