This experience happened a little after the pandemic. At the time I was a fourth-year at Mott Middle College High School. The high school offers college courses for all students that are currently in the program. I was taking both high school courses and college courses when I started to procrastinate more frequently and I started pushing things aside. I failed to balance both home and school objectives and assignments and was hurting my reputation. Home for me was a place to rest and relax after a nice and long day at school. Being home and having to do school assignments was a new challenge for me. I decided to sacrifice some of my hobbies like drawing, writing, and minimizing my time playing video games. I had to set a schedule for myself to get back on track with my assignments and projects for school. Throughout the week I would stay up to finish assignments to stay on top of my grades. I felt like I was letting myself lose track of my grades and important tasks I needed to get done. I started to feel overwhelmed with all of the assignments and responsibilities that needed to be done. Daily I would feel tired and stressed because I didn't feel the need to stop working. After all, it must be done. Most times I felt that I wasn't treating myself right as I didn't eat until dinner time and this continued for months. I also lose track of time while doing daily tasks and it feels like I would barely get anything done. I took a moment to realize the path I'm heading and I didn't want my motivation to dissipate because I chose to work for a long time doing assignments after assignments. So I decided to set a time for school, chores, and a time for myself at the end of the day. I gave time for daily meals and hobbies so I can have energy and motivation. Throughout the week I would plan out my day and important objectives or due date that needed to be done for the current week. I set breaks in between each day to either take a nap or have a snack. Also, take some time to meditate and relax my mind to help my mental state as it can due to some research I did about stress. I did some more research to find coping strategies for stress and these strategies helped me through everything. I learned to balance school work, important tasks, and hobbies during the time of the pandemic. Also, to manage my time wisely and work on assignments a little at a time instead of doing it a day or two before the deadline. I figured out a way to handle my wellbeing and now I feel better as I did before this pandemic first started. Well, besides being stuck at home. It's the idea of how far I came from learning my issue with excessive procrastination and stress. Failing isn't always a bad thing. It is a learning experience and a wise person once told me that “the word fail is an abbreviation for First, Attempt, In, Learning.” We all had to learn how to deal with being stuck at home and learn how to get through it, but this is my experience through these tough moments in my life going forward.

After I graduate from my 5th year at Mott Middle I'm planning on taking college classes in the summer semester. By September 2021, I will continue to finish my degree at Mott Community College in Graphic Design and graduate with an Associate's Degree in Graphic Design. After I graduate from Mott Community College, I will transfer to Ferris State University to begin my Bachelor’s degree in Digital Animation and Game Design. Before high school, I knew what my future would look like, but as I grew up that future changed. At first, I wanted to be a comic book artist, cartoon artist, and game designer. Over time I changed my career interest to graphic design, game development, and business. As of right now, I'm working towards my graphics design degree. The career I'm pursuing after I finish my credits at Mott Community College in game design. Game design has always been what I wanted to do because I can apply my creativity and design along with storytelling. Video Games inspired me to become a game designer, and I always wanted to get into how video games are made. I did my research on what they do in-depth to get a greater understanding of what role I would like to get into. Game designers fill different roles, from graphic artists to computer programmers. The developer's design characters and the layout of the game. Programmers and coders are at the heart of the operation in game design. They need extensive knowledge of computers, and it is their work that enables the games to function. I plan to learn how to make a video game myself to be more comfortable with the features before going to college. After I graduate from High School, I will be continuing my education. First, I will finish my Associate degree in Graphic Design and then transfer to Ferris State University for my Game design degree. Then finish college at Ferris State University and get my Bachelor’s degree in Digital Animation and Game Design. I will use my scholarships and Financial aid to help pay for college. I will get a part-time job near campus to have extra money for myself. I will be doing a career course and getting into programs that would help me get more experience in game design. I will start looking for game design jobs in Michigan close to my home city. After searching for game design companies, I will begin to apply for a job in game design. By the end of 2025, I should be pursuing my dream job of being a game designer. This is my future career plan, and I'm going to achieve my future career, and it can be done if I stay focused on my goals. For years all of my hard work and gratitude will finally pay off five years from now, and I will make sure that my plan doesn't change. I work so hard to ensure my future and I'm not going to let anything get in my way of pursuing my goals.