Well to start off, High School was not what I expected at all. High School was not a scene from High School Musical nor a scene from Grease. I wasn’t the life of the party, in fact I didn’t go to any parties or do anything of that nature. I’m not going to make you read things I didn’t do or things that “normal” teenagers do, because, honestly, that would be boring and I’m not a boring person. Instead, I’m going to tell you about things I’ve learned throughout high school. I’ve learned that you don’t have to be like anyone else. You don’t have to do things you aren’t comfortable with. You don’t have to do things other people do. I challenge you, whoever may be reading this, to be bold and be different. I challenge you to stand up for what you believe is right. And I challenge you to do something out of your comfort zone, something that will make you stand apart from everyone else. We, as students, are told to be creative and are told certain things to make us feel good, but how are we supposed to grow as a person and make big decisions on our own when all of us are being molded to talk the same way, think the same way and do everything perfectly the first time? We are all different individuals who need to express ourselves. This is such a hard thing to do in High School because you “need” to be a cool kid, you “need” to have a nice car, you “need” to be in a relationship. You don’t need these things, though. Everyone’s needs are different because we are all different. I personally think it has been better to not care about what people think or say, but it took me until my senior year to really get that confidence. So I challenge you to shine you ray of sunshine on everyone you pass, especially in high school because you never know who is watching and you will really be surprised by how much fun school is when you just be you!