In 2014, I made the difficult and overwhelming decision to switch from the private Jewish day academy where I’d spent six years to attend middle school at a public magnet program. I dropped the khaki shorts, polos, and traditional "kippah" head covering for the unfamiliar world of graphic tees and Abercrombie jeans.

At first, my transition was easy. There was no initial culture shock — I made friends, did well in my classes, and quickly grew accustomed to the busier, more diverse environment of public school. It wasn’t until late September, a month into school, that I was hit with the cold reality of how difficult my life was about to become.

Each fall, Jewish people are faced with back-to-back religious observances, starting with Rosh Hashanah and lasting through Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah. When I had attended the Arthur I. Meyer Jewish Academy, I was given breaks for all the Jewish holidays, fasts, and religious observances, allowing me to spend time with my family or in our synagogue. In public school, however, I had to report to class on day two of Rosh Hashanah, on Erev (the eve of) Yom Kippur, during the entire weeklong holiday of Sukkot, and on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. My family traditions were disrupted, and my religious obligations were stifled. (The A.W. Dreyfoos School did not immediately return Teen Vogue's requests for comment. A spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County School District told Teen Vogue that local schools close annually in observance of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, and sent a link to the policy outlining that students are allowed to take excused absences for religious reasons and make up missed work "without adverse effects.")

Students of other minority religions and cultures encounter the same obstacles. Muslim students sit in class during the entire fasting month of Ramadan as well as Eid; Hindu students miss out on Diwali festivities; and most public schools do not offer time off for students who participate in significant cultural celebrations like the Chinese New Year. The only group of American students that receives real time off for their observances are Christians, who in some districts receive two full weeks off for the two day holiday of Christmas.

People have asked me, “But doesn’t Hanukkah occur during winter break too?” The answer is only sometimes, since Jews follow a lunisolar calendar that doesn’t always line up with the Gregorian calendar. Besides, Hanukkah is not even one of the Jewish high holidays; on the hierarchy from most to least holy, it ranks pretty low. It’s just the holiday that Christians assume to be most momentous, because, well, it falls around the same season.

Of course, non-Christian students could just take the day off from school when necessary, right? Many schools would mark these practices as excused absences, after all. In middle school, this worked for me fine, so I kept my mouth shut. But now, in a high school system that pressures students to unrealistically stack four or more AP or college-level courses, try dual enrollment or take online classes, and participate in countless extracurriculars, excused absences only go so far. Missing class can be a major setback, and getting back on track isn’t as simple as turning in a late assignment. So I find myself sacrificing the traditions my ancestors have kept for thousands of years to keep up with my workload.

The root of the problem is Christian-centrism. America was founded by Christians and has always created institutions that disproportionately benefit the majority religious group. It’s no surprise that our school breaks are unfairly centered around Christian traditions while neglecting the equally important holidays of other faiths and cultures. My struggles won’t end when I graduate high school, as it’s possible I will face the same issue in college and in future jobs.