My artifact is a picture of me at my high school graduation. I chose this as my artifact for multiple reasons. The first reason being that this was a major milestone in my life. The other reason I chose this image is due to the fact that I was named the valedictorian of my high school. Throughout my four years in high school, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, but also I was able to grow as a person. During high school there were many obstacles that I had to overcome such as my father being diagnosed with cancer and passing away at the end of my sophomore year of high school or my final surgery that required me to miss a lot of school. Despite these obstacles, I still put in a lot of hard work and was fortunate enough to be named valedictorian. Earning this title took countless hours of studying and required me to take rigorous courses during my high school career and do well in all of them. As I begin my college career, I must remember to keep working hard and stay determined despite challenges that I may face along the way as I strive to achieve my goals.