Whether you attended Catholic school since you could say your ABCs or until you knew what an algebraic expression was, the privilege of attending a Catholic school is something no one can fathom unless you are wearing that uniform.

I’ve attended a Catholic school since I was five years old. Before then, I attended a local public school basically right around the corner from me. Although I can only remember one or two moments from that year, the ones I do remember scare me to death. I remember being bombarded with over 200 kindergarten students, constantly having to repeat my name so my teacher would finally get it right. I hated that. I remember it so vividly. When I reached first grade I was enrolled in a Catholic school, which was probably the best decision my parents made. It taught me so many things about myself.

I often get asked the questions:

“Did you even have fun?”

“Did you have to take religion classes?”

“Did you like your uniform?”

I answer every single one of those questions with the simple answer yes, of course.

“Did you have fun?”

I met some of my absolute best friends in my Catholic high school, and you’d be surprised how much fun we’ve had over the course of four years. I’m not just talking about partying like most high school students did. We got to know each and everyone in our class, even if we didn’t care to. Leaving high school was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Each of the 175 students was my friend. They all meant something to me and that was the most fun.

“Did you have to take a religion class?”

I’ve been taking a religion class since I could count on my fingers. I was so engrossed in my religion class that I would go home and explain the whole lesson to my mother. I did that until I reached the high school level, then I learned morality which was simply the most interesting class I ever took. It gave me perspective on the religion that was pounded in my head since I was five. I never regretted going to a Catholic school because of an extra class... it was completely worth it.

“Did you like the uniform?”

I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup until high school. Although it was “so annoying” as an eighth grader, it taught me the importance of natural beauty — I accepted the fact that wearing make-up wasn’t as important as I thought. The two uniforms that I wore were anything but uncomfortable. I enjoyed waking up in the morning and only having to worry about whether my hair looked presentable, it was amazing.

No, we rarely had nuns, they never beat us. If anything our nuns were kind enough to talk to. No, most of us aren’t prudes — we are just taught to respect ourselves, maybe a little more than public school kids. We are taught that going to school is a privilege and that thanking our parents should be an everyday thing.

I’m a Catholic school girl, and I’m so proud of It.