Free Yourself

In high school,  it can seem like everyone has their life figured out. But I can tell you at 18, I’m still not completely sure of my place in this world. Believe it or not, the world expands beyond the halls of CHS. Really. So if you ever find yourself thinking that you don’t fit in you’re not alone. High school only lasts four years, and that’s why you shouldn’t be afraid to be yourself; it’s ok if you don’t find yourself yet.

When I entered high school, I wanted to impress everyone. I felt like I had to fit into a certain box. As a result, I started hanging around people who were very different from me, and I could n’t really be myself around them. I realized that this person I was becoming wasn’t me, and this lead to one of my biggest regrets in high school: I wish I would’ve taken the time to allow others to see me, and for me to see myself.

There is so much joy in being yourself. I know it sounds cliche, but it feels so freeing. You don’t have to hide behind a fake personality just to fit in with others. For me, as a black woman, being yourself can come with stereotypes, and that was one of my main concerns as a student at this school. However, I learned I couldn’t let ignorant biases of others control my life. Believe me, it’s hard to ignore what others think, but high school has taught me that others’ thoughts shouldn’t be the focus of your life.

Before I started high school, people told me that they “found themselves” in high school. While for some people that may be true, I still haven’t really found my true place in the world. To that end, it is unfair to give teenagers the task of discovering who they are in such a short time. While in high school, I discovered certain parts about myself— I learned that procrastination is my worst enemy for example, and that my perfectionist mentality can be damaging to my overall mental health—but I didn’t find out about myself as a whole. High school can be intimidating, but it is just a small slice of how the real world will be. Trust the process, you will find yourself eventually.

The bottom line is, high school shouldn’t be a time to feel pressured to find yourself. As a senior, I’ve learned a lot about myself, but I wouldn’t say I’ve truly found who I am because I have a whole lot of life to live first.