Then-freshman Jaime An stepped out of her car and braced herself for another day at Archbishop Mitty High School. Later that day, there was going to be a rally at the private Catholic school located in San Jose, and all around her people huddled with their friends, laughing and chanting, “Go Monarchs!”

In this sea of black and gold, An found herself missing the comfort and company of her childhood friends from Saratoga.

As a Monarch, An recalled constantly having second thoughts about the “hasty decision” at the end of eighth grade.  

The night before the Mitty applications had been due, her parents had decided that she should apply, An said. They had seen her struggle at Redwood Middle School and hoped that Mitty would offer the “more individualized help” from teachers that public schools did not.

For first semester of freshman year, An was willing to try out the new environment.

But to her dismay, An didn’t find as much help as she had hoped to receive at Mitty, because without tutorials, there was not enough time to talk to teachers.

But this she more or less expected, as Mitty isn’t known for its academics. Instead, Mitty prides itself in its performing arts programs.

An, however, was ultimately disappointed with both the orchestra and dance team at Mitty.

“I didn’t feel comfortable in either of them,” An said.

The summer before school started, An began to practice with Mitty’s advanced dance team, the Royals. She felt like she got to know her teammates pretty well and had made a group of friends that she hoped would last through the school year.

“There was a lot of school spirit at our performances at rallies and football games,” An said. “They were exciting and filled with energy and cheers from the stands.”

But soon after, An found herself drifting from her old teammates.

“We were a cooperative and successful team,” An said. “But it was hard to stay close with everyone because of the various activities each of us were a part of besides dance.”

In addition, although she anticipated that Mitty’s strong reputation for performing arts would help foster her skills in both dance and music, An was disappointed to find that the environment at Mitty did not suit her.

“The orchestra was tiny compared to Saratoga’s,” An said. “I was just kind of bummed and unmotivated because it wasn't very challenging at all.”

An enjoyed the musicals, plays and choir concerts that the Mitty orchestra performed in, but she wished for something more challenging, something that would help her expand her knowledge and techniques in cello.

Finally, An made the hard decision to come back to Saratoga where she would be reunited with her childhood friends and where she felt the most comfortable. In late November 2014, An accompanied her mother to finalize the transfer documents to Saratoga High. She came back in Saratoga to finish her second semester of freshman year.

Thanks to the tutorials the school has every other day, An has built strong connections with her teachers who have helped her.

Besides receiving more help from her teachers, An also found she could rely on her peers, learning a lot from the students around her.

In particular, An, a cellist in the most advanced orchestra, Saratoga Springs, says she draws inspiration from the other musicians at the school who have the same dedication to music that she has.

“The orchestra program is much more developed [here] and people in orchestra actually love music and share the same passion for it as I do,” An said.

Although at first An was hesitant about transferring in the middle of the year, she was relieved to find her old friends welcomed her back with open arms.

“At Saratoga, people help me learn,” An said. “They welcome me, make me feel comfortable and assure me that this where I belong.”