Hi everyone! My name is Payton and I am so happy to be sharing my experiences with you.
I know some of you may already know a little bit about me from my bio, but today I wanted to share more of my story and why it means so much to me to speak with your class. I was once in your exact shoes. Literally. I sat in those same seats, walked those same halls and counted down the minutes until lunch or after-school activities; just like many of you probably do. Back then, I wasn't thinking about the future much. I just wanted to hang out with my friends and feel like I belonged. But something unexpected happened during seventh grade, in Ms. Yager’s class.
Ms. Yager gave us an opportunity to apply for a chance to go to New York City during our freshman year of high school. It sounded crazy at the time. Me? Go to New York?! As crazy as it sounded, I applied anyway. And that small decision sparked something big: a love for travel.
In that same class, we also got to meet German students online and watch videos they sent about what high school was like in Germany. It opened my eyes to how big the world really is and how many different kinds of people and experiences are out there. That experience stuck with me.
