Rob Mailander
I was a freshman and sophomore in high school. I had just begun holding down two jobs and trying to keep myself busy and out of trouble during the weekends. I was actively participating in speech, debate, and was on the golf team for the spring of 1999. I was also beginning to work on the school newspaper and started making friends in various circles. What was your life like? Life was good at this point; I had gone through my wild phase and I was starting to get my life back in order. School was going well, work was going well, and I was making new friends all over the board. So, 15 was a pretty good year for me. What were the ups and downs? Ups and downs; one of the ups was that I was very busy; but also able to have a social life. One of the downs was that it was a bit of an intimidating year because I was in the midst of my first year of high school and that was a lot different than junior high school. I think that one of the biggest adult motivators I had it this time was one of my bosses at the ice cream parlor I worked at. She made sure that I had all of my homework done and made sure that I attended all the events for the extra-curricular activities that I was involved in. She was very flexible with my work schedule and made sure that I was able to have ample hours to work and the ability to be involved in extra-curricular activities and have a social life as well. Others who made a difference were my parents, various family friends, teachers (specifically my English and Communications teachers), and my other employer. Others who made a difference were my parents, various family friends, teachers (specifically my English and Communications teachers), and my other employer.
