As a senior, I’d like to think I know a few things about how to survive and be successful in high school.
Although I still have quite a bit to learn and I surely have made mistakes in the past, here are some of the most important lessons that I’ve mastered so you don’t have to learn the hard way.
Be yourself
This tip is as old as time and I’m sure you’ve heard it over and over again but this is one of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever learned.
As a freshman, I hid my true, outgoing personality in exchange for a safe, quiet facade to fly under the radar and avoid any unwanted attention.
I spent my freshman year extremely unhappy and pretending to be someone who I wasn’t.
As I met new people who accepted me for who I was, I learned that there was no need to be fake and I found who I was supposed to be.
The shy freshman hidden in the corner is now no more and I am the senior that struts down the hallway with no care.
Life is far too short to be someone you aren’t and it isn’t worth leading a miserable life to be someone else.
You were born the way you were for a reason and you should own it because there is no one else out there that can do a better job than you can. The task was not as easy as it seems but I’m glad I took that challenge because I’ve come out of it as a better person.
Try new things
If you were to tell freshman me what I’ve accomplished in my high school career, I would have laughed in your face and told you there was no way.
I never thought I would join any extracurricular activities let alone be apart of Rampage and ASB.
I always thought my high school career would revolve around getting good grades and that was it but there is far more to high school than getting straight As.
High school is about making the memories that you can look fondly back on and laugh at the things you did in the past.
Trying out new things can come with unexpected benefits such as finding a group of people you call home or learning a new skill.
While it wasn’t easy to take the step forward and put my neck out, good outcomes came of it and I haven’t looked back since.
TCHS School Newspaper