Meeting Street Academy – Charleston alumnus Zaquan Watson earned a scholarship to First Baptist School, where he is now a seventh grader and thriving as one of its top students. He was asked to write a narrative essay about anything he wanted, and he chose to write about his alma mater. His essay is a wonderful reminder of the “why” behind our work.
– Meg Fischer Alumni Services Program Director
The Day I’ll Never Forget
The day I graduated from Meeting Street Academy is a day that I will never forget. First, that morning, when I woke up, I felt nervous and also excited. I kept thinking about how quickly my time at Meeting Street Academy went by. As I got dressed, my mind raced with memories of classmates, teachers, and moments that helped shape who I am today. I also couldn’t believe I was really going to be leaving my elementary school after eight years.
After spending eight years at Meeting Street Academy, I realized it was really rough for me. Some days felt long and tedious, and the work was challenging. Even when things were hard, the teachers at Meeting Street Academy never stopped believing in me. They pushed me to do my best and prepared us for middle school by offering challenging academics. Then, I started to feel more confident in myself when I realized I could accomplish more than I thought I could.
Next, as graduation got closer, my nerves grew stronger. I felt like I was going to mess up the smallest thing, like tripping or dropping my bowtie. We practiced walking across the stage in alphabetical order, and every time it was my turn, my heart raced. Walking one by one made everything feel more real. Once it was finally time to walk across the stage, every step I took reminded me of how far I had come..
In the end, graduating from Meeting Street Academy was a dream come true. It wasn’t about moving on to the next thing, but recognizing my growth. The people at Meeting Street Academy supported me and believed in me. I will never forget my time there because it taught me to keep going. Meeting Street Academy showed me that I can keep pushing no matter how hard things get. Meeting Street Academy was more than a school; they were family.
