By Gianna Gerges
Growing up in an academically competitive neighborhood is something that I’ve had to deal with for years. When my parents first moved me to Cupertino at the age of three the neighborhood was nothing like it is now. I lived on a quiet street surrounded by people of an older generation, In fact, my family was the youngest on the block for most of my childhood. By the time I was in the fifth grade almost every single person on my street had sold their house and had a young family moving in. The city became more sought after and the neighborhood gained a hostile atmosphere to me. I saw the city changing in front of my eyes but I didn't feel how much the city was changing until I hit middle school. Throughout middle school, I was reminded that I was a part of the youth that would reinvent Cupertino. We were scoring higher and doing more than the students before us. We were the generation to put Cupertino on the map as an educational hub. This newfound acclaim came at a price, as I entered high school my peers and I were no longer happy. With crippling amounts of pressure put on us by our parents, immigrants supposedly only wanting the best for their kids, I couldn't help but feel bitter. My life became consumed by the idea of success, go to a good university, score well on the SAT, anything lower than a 3.8 GPA is abysmal. I was hit with a feeling of self-doubt every time I didn't get a full score. I knew my grades did not reflect my self-worth but I couldn't shake the feeling of failure every time I didn't get an A. I was crying myself to sleep every night due to the prospect of having to go back to school the next day. I would have a panic attack almost weekly and before finals of my freshman year, I had six panic attacks over the span of two weeks. I’m in my sophomore year of high school and in the first month of school, I knew that it wouldn't be different from the year prior. In my first math unit, my teacher gave us some “tough love” as she called it. She told us that we were a disgrace to Cupertino if we were unable to complete a worksheet. That’s when I truly became resentful of the name Cupertino. The name of the city that I grew up in no longer became known as a happy place to me. I now know Cupertino as the city that gave me depression, anxiety, and an overall loss of self-worth. Yet, I still live here, I still sometimes cry but I’ve managed to overall become a happier person. Freshman year is known to me as the year I tried to end my life and Sophomore year has become the year I give back. I refuse to allow this city to fill me with hatred and bitterness, I now want to speak out and against academic pressure. Students need a support system and I know that if schools invested in our overall happiness rather than our test scores there wouldn't be as many stressed teens.