As an African American female who has a rigorous high school career, I have learned a lot; not just academically, but about what it means to be a high achieving minority -- inside and outside of the classroom. While every minority student’s experience is different and unique, I hope that you can find a few similarities and learn from my experiences. Here are a few things I learned:

Don't expect encouragement from others.

I remember being an 8th grader taking regular level math and wanting to be placed in a more advanced course. But despite my A+ on every exam and report card, my teacher denied my request. She told me and my parents that if I moved up, I would get "D's and F's" so I should “wait and see.” As a 12 year old, I thought that my teacher would have my best interest at heart, but looking back, she had no justification for her decision. Her refusal of my request would lead me to double in math as a sophomore so that I could take Calculus as a senior, just so that I could compete with other high-achieving students in my grade. Be adamant about what you want and don't let other people's doubts about your abilities deter you from your goals.

Your friends won't always be in your classes.

If you are a student like me whose friends don’t take the same courses, it can be difficult when you have to enter a classroom where no one looks like you and no one can relate to you. I still remember the feeling of isolation as I walked into my freshman year English class. It wasn’t that other students weren’t nice, but like any normal human being, you want to stay with your friends. This caused me to sit alone. I eventually made friends -- ones that I still have today, but it was very hard at first. This feeling hits me every time I enter a new AP or honors classroom, but I learned to cope with it. You just have to put yourself out there and build relationships so you can make the most of your experience in the classroom.

Don't feel like you have to shy away from giving your opinion.

It can be daunting in class when you are talking about something sensitive such as race or immigration and everyone has the same opinion, except for you. Occasionally you have one European American to side with you, but it's a rare occurrence. My most traumatizing experience with this occurred in my U.S. History 2 class during my junior year. I still remember it like it was yesterday. Our teacher introduced this article to us about Washington and Lee University's decision to remove the confederate flag. I won’t go into details about the decision here but I will say that the lack of sensitivity to our nation's past amongst my peers was so disheartening that I ran out of the classroom in tears. One student kept referring to African Americans as “colored,” and “privileged,” while others even believed that the confederate flag had nothing to do with slavery. With about 25 students in the class, I was the only vocal opinion against all of the ignorance. While the teacher promised me on several occasions that he would address the class, it never happened. I eventually just stopped voicing my opinion in the class. Don't let instances like this discourage you from never speaking like it did to me.

Teachers and students are going to see you as a representation of your entire Race/community.

This kind of follows with #3 and I touched on it in my past article, ‘Top 10 Awkward Moments Being the Only African American.’ Every time I would speak I would be seen as the voice of all African Americans. I was absent a lot in that class and I remember going to my teacher to ask them about what I missed and they said, “Nicole you can’t miss our Civil Rights unit. We need to hear your voice.” Why should I have to be the voice of all African Americans? That’s not fair to me, to other African Americans who disagree with me, and to the people I am sharing my opinion with, because they would have a false interpretation about how “all” African Americans feel.

Don't compare yourself to other minorities.

In my case, I was one of three or four African Americans (if that) in my grade who took multiple honors and AP courses. Sometimes I would compare myself to what other African Americans were doing. Don't limit yourself to what you see others doing -- do YOUR best. Just because you’re taking x amount of AP courses and most kids are taking none, doesn’t mean that you should take less.

Don't compare yourself to your classmates.

I had a lot more responsibilities outside of school than many of my peers did, but I would try and hold myself to the same academic standards, which became really unhealthy. Specifically during my junior year, I pushed myself way too hard and developed terrible sleeping and eating habits, some of which I am still trying to reverse. Don't feel like you have to be exactly like the other kids in your classes. Understand that your experience is unique and incomparable.

BE PROUD OF YOURSELF.

As painful and tiring as it can be sometimes, take pride in your differences and your strength to push yourself outside of your comfort zone.

In the words of Lena Horne, “It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.”