At Destiny Middle School, Nothing Is Impossible
By Josh Covarrubias, Destiny Middle School Class President
When people meet me they see an outgoing student who loves to talk, make new friends and entertain people. I wasn’t always like this. I use to be very shy.
My name is Josh. I’m part of the first class at Destiny Middle School in Tacoma. I’m also the Class President.
At my old school I was bullied a lot. The bullying got physical. I didn’t know what to do. My teachers got involved and did the best they could, but it didn’t get better. I finally stayed inside to get away from the bully. This also made me stay away from the other kids. So I wasn’t making any new friends.
A necessary change in scenery
So what changed? Well, my school changed.
Last summer my parents heard about a new school opening from a friend. My parents and I met with Mrs. Colette to learn more about the new school. She got me really excited about a new start and the chance to make new friends.
On the first day of school I was scared. Would I be bullied again? I have never been good at making new friends. I thought going to a new school would just make things harder.
Destiny is different
At Destiny, I have a lot of people who care about me. I have two families now, one at home and one at school. My favorite thing about this school is the way teachers help you. They make sure you know the material and are always challenging you to do better. With their help, I’ve grown a lot in math.
My teachers inspire and care about me and are preparing me to succeed in college. They let me know that nothing is impossible.
I’m not bullied anymore. Because of my teachers and new friends I’ve let down my guard and come out of my shell. I now participate in after school activities like choir and student government. I was even in a video to help save public charter schools in Washington state! That’s me rapping.
As Class President, I’ve got to know every student and where they come from and their culture. I’ve learned everyone has a talent that makes them special and that we should celebrate it! I also got to meet Washington state Governor Jay Inslee and tell him about my experience.
What’s next for me and my school
My dream is go to Harvard so I can help my mom, dad and family. To get to Harvard you have to be smart, not give up and work hard to get what you want.
A few weeks into the school year, the Supreme Court said public charter schools are unconstitutional in Washington state. This decision could close my school. I’m not going to let this distract me from my goal. I’m still going to work hard and challenge myself to achieve my dream with my new Destiny family.
I hope Washington state fixes this and keeps my school open. I want kids across the state to have the same opportunity to grow as I do. At Destiny I’ve grown from a shy kid who was being bullied to the Class President who knows every kid at my school. I’ve become a leader.
My teachers and friends at Destiny taught me that if you want something you can’t give up. What I want is for my school to stay open. If you keep my school open you’ll watch kids like me grow.