High school will be fun, they say. High school will be the best four years of your life, they also say. This generic statement was said ad nauseam by my middle school teachers, my parents, my relatives, and my therapist during the summer before my freshman year. As I leave high school, I think it is necessary for me to modify this statement using my experiences at Rock Ridge. 

 The truth is that I have made friends that will last a lifetime. Friends who have supported me, made me laugh (hopefully my corny jokes made you guys laugh as well), and made me proud of their growth and accomplishments. I’ve had teachers who made me think in a new way, expanded my mind in a manner that will pay dividends for the rest of my life. 

The truth about my experience in high school is double-sided, however. It is also true that I got into the habit of compulsively comparing myself to others. Others have tried to knock me down and I know others who have received the same cruel treatment. I’m not sure I’m proud of the person I have become. While excelling academically, I have turned into an unrecognizable husk of the person I used to be. I used to pride myself on my kindness, but sometimes I don’t recognize who I am anymore. I have put down and diminished people I care about, said some truly nasty things, all in a bid to salvage my crumbling self esteem. I have never felt adequate at this school; many of my peers here don’t seem to fully value a person unless they achieve superficial notions of success and prestige. 

That’s not to say that every student at Rock Ridge is this way, quite the opposite in fact. For every person who tries to put you down, there are two people at this school who will try to uplift you. I used to blame Rock Ridge’s hyper-competitive environment for my failings as a person, but without this school I would’ve never realized that I am a person who values kindness. 

The truth is complicated. I’ve had countless long nights and cry sessions, but I have also grown as a person, become the person I want to be, become a person who cares about others. The key is to find people who share your values and to fearlessly stand up for others. Therefore, here are my modified statements about high school: High school won’t define you. High school may not be as fun as advertised. And lastly, value people for their kindness towards others and not for their academic achievements at this early stage in their lives.