Make sure you have a social life. A lot of people get caught up in the academic aspect of high school to impress colleges, but that’s not all that high school has to offer. You don’t have to always be outside doing something, but it’s always good to have a balance between academics and enjoying your social life.

Get out of your comfort zone! So many more opportunities arise because of this: talk to new people, apply for club board positions, and implement your ideas. This will guarantee more success for you and a better four years of high school.

Don’t spend your life trying to please others who don’t like you or don’t even know you. In the blink of an eye, you’ll be in your senior year with your closest friends and everyone who loves you. I wish that I didn’t spend my years trying to please other people and make everyone like me, but ultimately, remember that we are all human. We all make mistakes, and we are all growing to be amazing individuals; don’t let your spark get blown away because of someone else’s opinions. Focus on yourself, your work, and your kindness.

I would urge students to be involved! I believe being involved in school builds your love towards it. I wish I would’ve gotten into more clubs and communities earlier in high school because it truly does build your school spirit.

I would advise the underclassmen to avoid stress. It’s really hard to control your feelings, but if you block yourself out and only focus on how stressed you are, it’ll be harder to actually get your work done. For me, I would give myself an hour to get all my feelings out, and then I would get to work.

Make sure to do as much as you can. Join clubs, make friends, and take those hard classes. The more you do, the better you will look for college, and also it will be more memorable. Do not care about what others think about you; everyone always has an opinion even if they have nothing to do with you, and a lot of people are jealous. Just remember to always be yourself. I am exactly the same at home and school, meaning I will be loud and make jokes that I think are funny, at school and not at school.

One piece of advice I’d give to underclassmen is to try your best and don’t compare yourself to others. It’s best to be a leader and not a follower, you have your own experiences that are unique to yourself.