We named him Charles, Charlie for short. Not only did we teach him new tricks, but he taught us the beauty of loving and being loved in return. One year and nine months old, this King dominated our lives with kindness and love in his heart. A dog’s bark may be playful or aggressive, a proud announcement of his presence to anyone nearby. The years of 2014 and 2015 treated my family well, teaching me personally plenty of wonderful lessons. I learned the best way to communicate through writing, how to achieve my dreams, and the beauty in growing up. I found my own courageous bark in my final year of high school. Now, I can venture out into the “real world” to make myself known. In order to develop a bark, one must study hard and practice even harder. In Mrs. Manugo’s English 112 class, we were taught several convenient and realistic ways to communicate our thoughts clearly and thoroughly. Through methods of debate and Socratic Seminars, I learned the best way to express my thoughts in order for another person to comprehend my intentions. In a Rogerian style debate, I came to understand the necessity of a third point of view. Suddenly, arguments became inclusive of several point of views, in order to create an understanding mood rather than hostile. Adding this new found knowledge, I fully contributed my personal thoughts and ideas toward a class Socratic Seminar for the first time in four years. It made me feel a sense of accomplishment and invigoration to finally discover the power of communication. The loudest bark could scare of predators, catch anyone’s attention, and carry far out into the world. Merely knowing how to produce a bark alone cannot alone provide a dog with enough power. He must grow into his bark, finding what may suit his personality, his appearance. To me, the future became my greatest fear in high school. What will I do? I don’t know how to talk to people, let alone what I want to be! However, life has been set on default, forcing me to realize that all things change. This year, I grew into a girl who sought brand new experiences with a set goal in mind: find my way toward a bright future as Dr. Zendzian, a woman with the power to save lives. With the communication skills I learned throughout the year, I moved forward with my plans. I wrote pointed essays for college, conveying my strong desire to learn and go far in my life. Once accepted in to the Virginia Commonwealth University as a pre-medicine student, the next step became solidifying the next four years of my life. Conversing with several individuals until I found a compatible roommate, expressing to anyone who asked the details of my future, searching for classes and the best strategy for succeeding through college. I found out my best source of information to be people with experience. Afterall, a dog does not teach himself tricks. Charlie and I together dedicated our lives to learning the best ways to be ourselves. Best friends from beginning to end, we earned our strong voice and used it to grow up. I know I have to carry on without him, as I am left with mere memories of his sweet bark. But he still encourages me to move forward, going up to Richmond and studying hard to become the best person I can be. I am excited to see how much I have grown in my final year at Bayside. Even more so, I am excited to step into my future.