How an 11^th Grade Student Is Similar to Squats

            I’ve learned that every junior in high school has his/her fair share of challenges to go through. With studying for the SAT/ACT, keeping good grades, and in some, if not most, cases taking rigorous AP classes that will have you staying up all night completing assignments, there’s just not enough time in the day to just relax. One day I was lifting weights in the weight room of my school and I was doing some squats and I came to a sudden realization, an epiphany. I realized that squat exercises are a simple representation of my junior year in high school, the peak of my high school career.

            I view each weight on a lifting bar as a representation of each of the major tasks that I must prepare for in order to go to college. Tasks that an 11^th grader must take, such as SAT/ACT, AP classes, etc. are all similar to metal weights through a few aspects, one in particular, the more important that they are, the heavier that they feel. What you notice about squats is that they feel easy at first, however as you keep going the strain that you feel keeps growing, as if the weights are getting heavier and heavier by the minute. This connects to my 11^th grade year because, similarly to the weights, the pressure of scoring well on test and passing my classes increases as the year goes on. The image of a man doing some squats with weights symbolizes the immense pressure that a high school student will feel during his/her junior year.

            The steel bar used in weight lifting represents the 11^th grade year as a whole . As you may have noticed when working out at the gym if you lift a steel bar with no weights on it, it would feel relatively light, however add a set amount weight to it and it becomes more difficult to handle. This concept has allowed me to connect it with the experiences of the average highs school junior. If this year were without the SAT/ACT and AP classes and simply focused it’s attention on keeping good grades, then, as a junior, my year would be rather simple. However, because this is the year where you must take into consideration of  college requirements, my year has been rather hectic and busy.

            The image of a man performing the squat exercise is a representation of the not only myself, but also the average 11^th grade student. In the image you can see that the man is in fact exercising because you can see his muscles are flexing and being strained. You may have noticed that once you’ve completed performing squats or other various exercises certain parts of your body are in a notable mount of pain, and over time the pain fades and your body becomes stronger. The same can be said for the struggle of an 11^th grade student, as in despite all of the hardships you may have experienced over the course of the year, ultimately by the end you will be a better student and more  prepared for college.

            All and all, my representation of my junior year in high school can be an image of a person performing a squat exercise. There are various aspects of this exercise that I believe are symbolic to my 11^th grade year in high school, such as the weights, the steel, and the person performing the exercise. I believe that this image gives the best representation of the most difficult year in high school.