I failed at high school.

Well, I suppose that isn’t totally true; I received almost all A's on my report card, I got a 29 on my ACT test, and I participated in a wide variety of things through my high school, such as varsity bowling, the school paper, and National Honor Society. What I mean is that I did not have the stereotypical high school experience.

I did not attend a single party. I wasn’t a part of the popular sports such as cheerleading or basketball, nor was I part of the popular crowd. If my name was called in class by a teacher, nine times out of ten I heard someone say, “Who’s that?”

While my shortcomings in my last four years of schooling used to bother me, I now see that they have benefited me greatly. I’ve realized that this failure has opened up more doors for me than I can count, but it especially taught me how to be independent.

While it is important to be able to collaborate and work with others, it is equally important to be independent.

In high school, I had five close friends-- that was about it. I had many other acquaintances, of course, but these five people were the ones with whom I did everything. If one of them weren't in my class, chances are I was silent most of the time. It always seemed that most everyone else around me had tons of friends. They were always getting into drama that I never did.

However, I learned to be more independent than many of my peers because I had few close friends. I don’t need validation from my friends to make a well-informed decision. This helped me keep out of a lot of trouble because I was able to say no to things. I was never tempted by drugs, alcohol, or going out when I should have been doing work.

I also learned to develop better relationships that have lasted throughout the years, and have even grown stronger. Not only that, but my lack of friends meant I usually worked alone on most of my schoolwork. I can now work independently very well, and I actually prefer it to group work sometimes.

I did not spend summers with friends.

Instead, I spent my time off going on mission trips with my youth group, honing my musical skills through my viola lessons, and helping my mom run a summer camp for kids through Junior Achievement. I was able to travel with my family and visited eight different colleges in five states over the summer. If I'd had a successful high school experience, I would not have been able to do half of these things because I would have been too busy hanging out.

In doing all of this, I learned how to be my own person. During the college visits, I learned independence because I had to speak up and ask my own questions; my parents could no longer do it for me. I had to really step up, and I discovered that I actually enjoyed being able to do all of these things on my own.

I am so thankful that I failed at high school because of all the opportunities it brought me and bullets it helped me dodge. Before now, it bothered me that I was a bit of a loner-- that I was different. I realize now, however, that this has always been my strongest quality. My perception of a “successful” high school experience shifted; I don’t have to have a lot of friends, or go to parties, or go out on my time off. I have always marched to the beat of my own drum, and I am happier for it.