Introducing Eugene Barnes

Over the course of my East High journey, many people have asked me, “Who are you?” and every time someone would ask me this question I would give them the same answer: “idk.”
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My name is Eugene Barnes. I'm 17 and this is my last year of high school. When I was 4 I moved in with my grandma and have lived with her ever since. My grandma has been my biggest motivator and supporter. She always supports my decisions but always tells me when I'm wrong. 

My high school experience has been pretty crazy. In the beginning I was a class clown and barely passed 9th grade. After the year of online school I came back feeling more motivated and passed all my classes with somewhat good grades. For my last year of high school I want to try and finish the year with a 3.5 GPA.

I've always had a love for history and have also taken an interest in philosophy. During the pandemic I started talking to people about the events that were happening at that time (BLM protests and the presidential election) and it helped me shape my perspective on the world right now. As an African American male in the United States, I have faced many challenges like discrimination because of my skin color and also verbal racism. 

Things that I do when I'm not at school or sleeping are watching youtube or anime, playing video games or hanging out with my friends. Since this is my last year of high school I have to start planning my future for when I graduate. I want to either go to trade school to become an electrician or if I do well this year and my final grades are good, I want to try my luck with college and try to get a degree in some form of history.