Let me tell y’all: It’s been a crazy 4 years and I still can’t believe that I’m finally graduating. I remember my first day of high school like it was yesterday. Believe it when seniors tell you that time FLIES. You’ll be graduating in a blink of an eye.

I came into Parkdale staying true to myself and being simply… ME. Don’t change for anyone!! And yes, I’ve lost friends along the way, but I promise you, it is normal. Not everyone in your life will be there forever, so appreciate anyone who wasn’t supposed to be a part of your life and the ones who are still there. You can learn and grow a lot from it. 

Throughout high school, I began to grow and thrive through my business. I own a business called ToniahsTipTopTreats and began to sell small boxes of my treats in school to make a little bit of money. I would wake up every other morning to sell something new. Normally I would wake up around 6AM for school, but on days that I would sell, I would wake up between 4:30am-5am. When I tell ‘yall I was TIRED, I was TIRED. I would make cookies, cupcakes, fried Oreos, etc. My prices would range from $1-$2, and I would usually make around $40-$45 by the end of the day!

When sophomore year came around, I started my own page. Outside of school, my grandpa would have orders for me for big boxes of my treats and sometimes, my peers would buy the $10 boxes as well. I thought, why not promote myself even more by starting an Instagram page for it? After creating my page, I gained about 200 followers the first 2-3 months selling in school. My little boxes were gold and there was a good amount of people in the hallways with them. Sometimes the students wouldn’t even throw them in the trash can and would just throw them on the floor.

Mind you, I’m obviously not supposed to be selling in school… LOL. Administrators were trying to find out who was selling the gold boxes and they couldn’t figure it out. I’ve remained a mystery… until now. 

I’ve now grown in my business over the course of two years and have gained over 1,000 followers with orders every week. I’ve even had teachers in school buy from me like Ms. Johnson (Psychology, Sociology, Social Issues), Ms. Henderson (Health), Ms. Aberu (Pro Start, International Cuisine) and Ms. Guevara (English 9, Journalism). I’m so proud of myself and I’m so happy that I got to share my gift to not only the students and teachers in school, but people all over Maryland. 

What I want to let the upcoming high school students know is to always be true to yourself. It’s not a lie when people tell you that high school will be done in a blink of an eye. Appreciate the moments you have and importantly ENJOY BEING A TEENAGER. Adulthood will come faster than you think, so please have as much fun as you can and genuinely try your best in school ! 

THE GOLD BOX BANDIT SIGNING OUT XOXO!!!