I graduated high school two days ago and can’t be happier. I’m not here to condemn my high school because I did have some enjoyable experiences; however, most of it isn’t pretty. I can blame the institution or the people, but some of it is on me. I’m also not here to look for sympathy because I am well aware of my reality: I am an educated young woman who is surrounded by incredible people and all of my needs are more than covered. I guess I’m just here to tell my story. Okay, disclaimer over.

“High school is the best four years of your life,” says almost everyone. Well, definitely not for me -- it was a tough four years. But do I regret choosing the school I went to? Absolutely not. See, I came into freshman year as a very timid girl, but I believe I have become a more confident young woman. I think that this can be attributed to the environment I was in -- one that was highly competitive and conservative.

I went to an all-girls school and there were only 55 girls in my class, all who had the same personalities and personal drives. Due to this and a lot of stress, there were inevitable collisions. We were all ‘competing’ to get into the best college (whatever that means) and be liked by everyone (whatever that means). With the academic and social spheres often meshing together into a snowball of anxiety, I struggled to see what was right for me. For example, I would put too much pressure on myself for a stupid math quiz because I was striving for perfection. On the other hand, I would be manipulated by other friends to get what they wanted. In retrospect, I learned that I needed to stand up for my emotional well-being and eventually took action.

One decision that I am proud of making is not conforming to a "friend group," which is something I advocate for anyone in any environment. Maybe I am naïve, but I think having a lot of different types of friends is important. Not necessarily because if one group is bothering me I could revert to another, but rather because I get to learn how to interact with more than one personality. Another positive part of my high school experience was eight seasons of Track and Field (winter and spring). In the first few seasons, this often provoked more anxiety because, again, I was constantly striving for perfection. Eventually, however, I adapted to transform my fear of racing into focus and drive.

Overall, the high school I went to often pressured the students for perfection. Through trial and error, I learned to be resilient. Moreover, I learned to take a peak outside of a very small bubble and appreciate all I have.