Kaitlyn Hanson, How High School Changed My Life

As a kid, I was always told to dream big. Teachers and parents were always suggesting we become doctors, lawyers, or CEOs. Those were dreams of someone long ago. I grew up and so did the world around me, gaining meaningful memories and experiences on the way. I baked bread in my algebra class in eighth grade. I got to spend the whole day mixing and waiting and delivering this freshly baked creation to teachers and administrators all around the school. That same year I spent hours trying to make the perfect Mardi Gras float out of a shoebox with my two best friends. We brought our own supplies, getting to class early, and staying late to make sure we got it just right. At the end of every day, I always looked forward to walking home with more of my best friends, people that accepted me from the day we met. Isn’t that weird? How when we’re little, we call all our friends our “best friends”.

If only life had stayed that simple. All the plans I had made for high school suddenly changed: I started going to a new school, a school with people I knew nothing about. My saving grace was freshman orientation. Over the next four years, I would discover the group I was in that day contained two people I now call sisters. Friends I have had the opportunity to watch grow, change, and flourish into beautiful people. That first year always contained something new—people, places, and ideas that seeped into this new person I was becoming. I didn’t find guilt where I once thought it should be.

I joined a math club to help tutor those that need it, and to secretly keep my own skills sharp. I found pride and strength in a sport I’d never heard of, powerlifting was something that just seemed to scream my name. I met more people, joined new groups, and continued to be amazed at the human potential for kindness and joy. Little eighth grade me would never have thought up something so grand. Now here I am senior year, once again looking into what my future might hold, contemplating into what my identity has become. Though it may have taken four years, I started to understand that I can’t control everything, even if I really wanted to. My life continues to change in unexpected ways, and I have learned I can either roll with it or fight against it. I’ve always heard the phrase, “enjoy this, these are the best years of your life” in reference to high school memories. I can’t argue against this now, but I can finally understand the sentimentality behind it.