User:Jerico9spd

Hello, my name is Alex Hopkins. I am new to Wikipedia.

Early Life

I was born in Leesburg, Virginia in 1988 and was raised in nearby Reston, Virginia for most of my life. For the most part, I was introverted, yet extremely energetic. My life took an unexpected turn when my parents divorced in 1993.

Armstrong Elementary School

I began Elementary School at Armstrong Elementary School in Reston, Virginia in September 1993. My first year in school was often hectic. I would often throw tantrums and was nearly sent to a special school for the mentally disturbed. My mother had a choice to either enroll me in the alternate school or repeat Kindergarten. I ended up repeating Kindergarten

My second year of Kindergarten was a much better year for me. Although I was technically the oldest in my class, that didn't seem to bother me or anyone else. It was the crucial year that I befriended many new people who would become my best friends until the end

St. Joseph's Catholic School and 9/11

I began the 7th grade and Middle School at St. Joseph's Catholic School in Herndon, Virginia. My time there was tense. For one, wearing a school uniform was completely new to me. Also, none of my friends in elementary school went to this school, so I felt "lost" most of the time.

A week after my first day, 9/11 occurred, which caused me great emotional distress. Although I didn't know anybody who perished in the attacks, I felt the great loss that everyone in our country felt as well. The school principal came on the loudspeaker and announced that we were leaving school early. Of course, to a thirteen year old kid, this was great! Of course, when I got home, seeing the replays of planes striking the World Trade Center towers in New York City, New York was unbelievable

Move to California

John Adams Middle School

Start of my Personal Journal

On September 14, 2002, I penned my first entry in my personal journal. Since then, the journal has encompassed thousands of pages that relate to nearly every aspect of my life.

Santa Monica High

In Sepetmber 2003, I began High School the ninth grade at Santa Monica High in Santa Monica, California. Overall, my time there was a bit better than my time at John Adams. For one, since the school was so big, I no longer had to worry about bullie or gangs picking on me. Although there was a thriving student drug and music scene, I never participated in either.

Return to my Mother

El Camino Real Senior High

Return to Virginia

Paul VI Catholic High

In September 2004, I began the tenth grade at Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, Virginia. It felt good to be back in Virginia. However, like Catholic Middle School, I still felt "lost" most of the time. The one good thing about it was that the girls suddenly became prettier, to my delight. My sophomore year was marked by getting assimilated to my new school. I met many great people, but my grades weren't so good because of a mysterious health condition. Perhaps the two people that I met that year that had an enormous impact on my life was my friend Daniel and my School Chaplain.

Death of Pope John Paul II and Election of Pope Benedict XVI

I remember when Pope John Paul II passed away on April 2, 2005. Although I wasn't Catholic at the time, I had a lump in my throat when I heard the news on television. I can remember the starry night of Vatican City and the people weeping below when the announcement was made that the pope died. On April 4, when my school held a school-wide mass in honor of the late pontiff, I tried so hard to hide my tears. For about a week or two, the entire world was in mourning. The scale of his passing was like that of an unexpected tragedy, although everyone knew he was going to pass away in late-March 2005. Still, for someone the whole world loved dearly since his election as Pope in 1978, his mark on the world was cemented.

The Papal Conclave began on April 18, 2005. Many people at my school expected a long deliberation between the cardinals, as a successor needed to be chosen for the long, dynamic, and complex reign of Pope John Paul II. However, we all were proven wrong. The next day, while I was in my Latin class, one of the other Latin teachers burst in and proclaimed, "Habemus Papem", which is Latin for "We have a Pope!". I was very fortunate to have my Morality religion class next, in which all of the religion classes in that period crowded into our room, all eyes glued on CNN. As the curtains rustled, we knew that the next pope was being vested for his first appearance to the world. Fortunately, just as the class period ended, the cardinal protodeacon, Jorge Medina Estévez, walked out onto the balcony and announced the results of the conclave. Soon after, the former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger made his debut to the world as Pope Benedict XVI

Preparation to Become Catholic

The death of Pope John Paul II made me think a lot about who I was and what I was becoming. I confided to the school chaplain of my desire and he supported my decision by suggesting that I join his after school RCIA class. After a long period of thought, I finally joined my school's RCIA class towards becoming Catholic

Spiritual Retreats

On February 20, 2006, I made a day-long retreat to the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The retreat was required by my school chaplain for his RCIA class For the whole day, we did various activities that deepened our spiritual lives. I admit that it was a little embarrassing being the oldest member of the RCIA group. However, meeting everybody was a lot of fun.

Between March 23-25, 2006, I made a retreat to Front Royal, Virginia to fulfill a graduation requirement at my school. My school mandates that everyone must make at least one retreat before they graduate between their junior and senior years. I was a junior when I went on the all-boys "ECHO" retreat

Baptism

On April 15, 2006, I became a Roman Catholic. I was baptized, confirmed, and received my first holy communion at the church where I attended as a seventh grader. It was a very moving, beautiful experience for me and all of my guests. My mother, godmother, and school chaplain were there to see me for my special day. I took the baptismal name of "Alexnader" in honor of St. Alexander and the confirmation name "John Paul" in honor of Pope John Paul II], who died the previous year.

Junior Ring Mass and Junior Prom

On April 27, 2006, the whole senior class crowded into

Cardinal McCarrick's Farewell Mass

On June 18, 2006, I was fortunate enough to attend the farewell mass of the Archbishop of Washington Theodore Cardinal McCarrick at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C.. Tons of news crews were there to cover the event. At the end of the day when I got home, I turned on the news and I could have sworn I saw myself standing at the pews while Theodore Cardinal McCarrick was giving his final homily

Vacation to St. Michael's Maryland

Homecoming Dance

The End of My Senior Year in High School

I'd say the end of my years at Paul VI Catholic High School was when I joined the men's volleyball team on March 18, 2007. Although I had never played volleyball before, it was a very rewarding experience because I made new friends and honed my skills on the game

On April 27, my entire senior class made a trip to Six Flags America in Largo, Maryland. For the most part, I had a lot of fun. Although I get easily scared on roller coasters, my friends Alex and Kevin dragged me along. At those special moments I shared with my two friends, I realized how blessed and fortunate I really was to have friends like them

Two weeks later, on May 11, I had my Senior Prom at the Willard Hotel in Washington D.C.. Although I didn't have a date, it was still good to hang out with Kevin and Alex. Overall, the night went by way too fast for me, sitting alone at a table in the dark, watching all of my friends dance the night away. It was hard not having a date to go with. At some points, I regret going to my senior prom. However, for the most part, I just really enjoyed seeing my friends.

Lyme Disease Diagnosis

About a week before my high school graduation ceremony in May 2007, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. For a few years prior, I had complained of constantly being tired, unable to do simple tasks. Often, I would sleep for sixteen hours a day, hibernating during the weekends. As a result, my grades in high school were poor, I never had the energy to apply to colleges or scholarships, and my social life suffered.

Northern Virginia Community College

In August 2007, I began my first day in college at Northern Virginia Community College at the Loudoun Campus in Sterling, Virginia. Although I carried 13 credits, which is a full-time load, I had great difficulty in completing my work.