A high school senior looks back on her freshman self
Going into my freshman year of high school, I thought I was certain of two things. The first being that I’d have amazing outfits all year, and the second that I’d just get great grades.
I quickly learned that I was in for a reality check when my motivation to have a great outfit every day wore off within two weeks. Today, I couldn’t be paid to wear an outfit I enjoyed freshman year.
A bigger rude awakening, I learned in my first semester, was that getting great grades takes more effort than just telling myself I’ll get great grades. I studied a lot more than I thought.
I struggled balancing the sports I joined, an online class I picked up, public speaking tournaments, homework and friends. I remember thinking my peers balanced everything better than I, but I tried not to let it affect me.
Now that I am a senior, my freshman year seems so trivial, but as I reflect with my friends, I learn that my peers struggled to balance their school and extracurriculars in the same way I did.
Over time, I got better at balancing everything by learning how to prioritize. I set screentime limits on my phone, started asking for help with the schoolwork I didn’t understand, and found time to spend with my friends.
My hobbies also significantly changed from freshman to senior year.
My nine-year interest in soccer suddenly vanished and was replaced by rock climbing. My prior interest in running was also replaced by hiking. It’s funny knowing my 14-year-old self wouldn’t be able to process me doing rock climbing or hiking.
However, my biggest takeaway is that 10 years from now, my worries will be irrelevant to me because I’ll have new ones, and the cycle will continue.
While looking at my stresses from this lens might not seem productive, it’s relieving to me knowing that I’ve made it through every challenge so far.
My mindset on others’ perception of me also changed since I was a freshman. I used to spend a lot of time wondering if others thought I was smart or dumb, depending on my grades or what colleges I was interested in.
Now I just want to be remembered for taking advantage of the opportunities I had and for staying true to myself instead of chasing someone else’s version of success.
I used to only want to apply to schools that everyone else considered good, but I learned that “good” is different for everyone.
Even though so much has changed, one thing hasn’t – my interest in pursuing a career in the political sphere. Being confident in this passion has allowed me to look into law fields, public policy, local campaigning and more.
I’m grateful for every change in mindset or hobby I’ve had because it means I’ve grown. I’m equally appreciative of the passions that have stayed the same, like politics, because I’ve gotten to hone in on what truly matters to me.
