MLA Format

Ahmad Hill

Hill 1

Professor Lynn Raymond

University Writing 1104
12 July 2016
Improving My Literacy Abilities Throughout High School
From a personal standpoint, college is meant to create a more intelligent, independent,
and open-minded individual. Our occupational objective, as students, is to become competent in
whatever field or career choice we decide, and also allow ourselves to be relevant in the job
market.
As I stated in the first writing assignment, I come from a first generation family, meaning
neither of my parents completed college. Conversely, this does not necessarily imply that I am
the first of my immediate family to attend a college or university. Since middle school, one of the
most influential events in my life had been when my older brother, Tyrell Hill, attended
Greensboro College and also completed his studies. Out of my ten siblings, he is the sixth oldest,
and the first to attend a university. As a high school student, him attending college played a
motivating role in my desire to pursue higher education beyond high school. It inspired me to
disconnect the trends and to prosper past what my rural community offers. Obtaining a college
education would be the most effective and efficient way for this dream to evolve into a reality.
In order to reach my goal of attending a top-notch university and to persevere throughout
the intense semesters, I realized my literacy skills needed to improve substantially to meet
university standards. During my high school career, I made a commitment to improving my
literacy, forcing myself to become connected with what I was portraying in my writing. Also,
focusing on expanding my vocabulary allowed me to strengthen the dynamics of my writing and

MLA Format
Hill 2
allowed me to produce clearer sentences. Throughout high school, my writing, and English
grades continuously improved, and I felt more aware of the literature I was processing. My
English III instructor and I discussed the final product of my book report that was about a young
Native American boy and his experiences while being captured by European immigrants in the
1600s. When discussing the content of the book report, she stated This was one of the best book
reports I have had in a very long time. This statement was significant to the goal that I had set
out to accomplish, to improve my literacy throughout my high school career.
Although, it would not have become possible without hard work and determination, I can
definitely say the influence of Tyrell Hill attending college improved my mentality as a whole.
His experiences inspired me to think beyond my few years in high school and consider what life
will be in the years after. Since high school is essentially the beginning of the real world, the
period when grades actually determine what kind of college you will be attending, it was
significant to understand that high school can create a path for success. My years of high
required me to become a better student and to improved my intellectual capacity substantially.