I am a student at the Monadnock Community Connections School, better known as MC2. This school has made a great difference in my education and in my future. At MC2 we are required to do internships. It was through my internships were I was able to make the decision to become a graphic designer. I originally wanted to become an actress but so realized that this dream was going to be hard to come by. I then considered becoming a teacher, but after a year of interning with a kindergarten classroom I realized I don’t have the energy.My passion soon grew to graphic design. After participating in a class in school I soon realized my talent for it. I took a class at the Sharon Arts Center over the summer and realized I enjoy doing this. I started to look into careers based on graphic design. I am now interning with a local sign shop called ‘A Sign Stop’, and I love it. MC2 has helped me narrow down my choices and I’m grateful for the opportunities the school has given me. Through the school I have also been able to use my student voice. I have spoken at three conferences about student voice and how schools need to adjust so the students have a voice in their education. I spoke in Washington DC about our governance council and why it is important for students to have say in their own policies and procedures. I spoke at the Antioch College in Keene, NH and discussed why internships were important and how they have impacted my education. I also spoke and presented about student voice at the Apex Conference in Attitash NH. In addition to this I am now fund raising to attend the Fall Forum in New Orleans at the beginning of November. By attending MC2 I have been able to use my voice to help students around the country. I have been able to explain to teachers why we need to use our voice. During my visits to these conferences I have noticed something, adults are always saying the following, “We are giving our students voice.” I want to clarify this statement. We have a voice, we were born with a voice. The difference is that we are USING our voices. So I think the correct statement should be “Our students are using their voices.”