The Accidents and Adventures of My High School Freshman Year

Misadventures and laughs are a significant part of the high school freshman experience, and I have certainly had my share of both. In my freshman year, I had a few memorable and sometimes painful experiences that I can only describe as accident-prone.

Engineering Class Mishap: Broken Toe and Crash Landing

One of my most memorable freshman experiences came from an engineering class project. My friend and I were tasked with building a bridge to see how much weight it could hold. I was responsible for adding the weight, an assignment I wished I could pass off to someone else. Our bridge was sturdy but unfortunately, not bulletproof. It managed to support 86 pounds before coming crashing down onto my foot. The result? A broken toe that sent me hobbling around in flip-flops for months. My foot turned purple and became swollen, and the pain was a constant reminder of that unfortunate event.

Spontaneous Hair Loss in Engineering Class

A few days later, in another engineering class, we were soldering robotic parts together. My hair wasn’t tied back, and a careless movement led to an iron accidentally burning a significant chunk of my hair off. The incident was so dramatic that it caused the fire alarms to go off. We had to evacuate the school, and the cleanup process involved a lot of smoke and frustration.

Evacuation and Ice Runs

After the accident, I had to navigate a series of events that made my day unpredictable. My teacher wouldn’t let me leave, but she did offer to take me to the school office for ice. On the way, I had to walk past the school nurse’s office, only to find it empty. So, I had to walk back to the engineering classroom, which was a long journey. The nurse wasn’t there, and I finally had to go to the culinary classroom for ice. The experience of trying to figure out where ice was kept and enduring the pain of putting my shoe back on was truly memorable.

SNAPCHAT fails

Another memorable mishap happened during a boat project. I was working with cardboard, and in my excitement, I knelt right on the adhesive. Getting the adhesive off my uniform was like a mini mission, with me scraping and washing for hours. It was a sight to see, and, to my chagrin, it made it onto Snapchat’s high school fail page. That day, I became the center of attention for a peculiar reason.

The Python Named Princess

Of all the mishaps, one of the most bizarre involved a python named Princess. The teacher in the adjacent classroom announced that his snake had escaped, and my instinctive fear of snakes caused me to avoid standing on the floor. Eventually, the python made her way into the chemistry lab, and they were able to secure her in a more secure enclosure.

Lessons Learned

Reflecting back, these experiences taught me a lot about resilience and the importance of taking safety precautions. While these mishaps were certainly memorable, they also reinforced the value of learning from mistakes and moving forward. As I continue on in my academic journey, I carry these experiences with me, reminding me that even the most chaotic moments can be transformed into lessons and stories to share.