These past couple of months in isolation have allowed me to take the time to reflect on
the past four years of my life. Sure, high school is about books, teachers and homework, but it’s also about bettering yourself. It’s about discovery. And it’s about all the people you meet along the way. So, as a graduating senior, here’s what these past four years of high school have taught me.

High school is what you make it.

Your mind is everything. You make your experiences. You make high school good or bad. You control where the future goes. You can make a difference. It all starts with you.

Get involved. Find your purpose. Participate in things that make you happiest. Meet new people. Develop relationships with your teachers — they are there to assist in any way they can.

High school is the best four years of your life only if you make it the best four years of your life. Just know that
the sky’s the limit and that there are so many opportunities waiting for you outside of high school, so long as you put your mind to it and work as hard as you can.

You are who you hang out with.

If high school has taught me anything, it’s that your friends and the people you surround yourself with can have a tremendous influence on your beliefs and actions. It is absolutely imperative, then, that you exercise extreme caution with the people you allow to enter your life. I know many who have fallen victim to the negative side of peer pressure — the herd mentality that leads to bad decisions. It’s crazy how quickly you can be assimilated into a group and how your lifestyle reflects that.

Having like-minded individuals around you is a major component in a great high school experience. Ultimately, it’s all a matter of staying true to what you believe personally and following your moral compass, even in the foggiest conditions.

You are your greatest ally.

No matter how many friends you have, at the end of the day, there’s only one person who really knows the real you, and that’s you. Many people are uncomfortable being alone and associate being introverted with abnormal behavior. If you can enjoy some quality time with yourself, if you can learn to befriend who you are and learn to love yourself for your faults, then you’re already ahead of most people in life. It’s in your best interest to become your own best friend, because only then can you really improve and become a better person.

So congratulations to all my fellow graduates. I hope you’ve learned as much about yourself as I have.