As cliché as this sounds, I can’t help but wonder where all my time has gone. I remember Dr. Murphy’s speech during orientation about how we each only have 720 days to walk the halls of BVNW, and it’s hard for me to believe I only have around 90 of those days left. Although not quite finished yet, my days at BVNW have taught me several important lessons. Here are a few things I’ve learned and continue to learn each day:

1. In order to win, you have to show up. The greatest way to reach *objective* success in high school is to work hard. Whether in sports, music, or academics, don’t be afraid to spend time working for something, even if rejection seems imminent. December and January of my junior year, I literally spent every weekend writing essays for summer programs I wanted to attend. I think I ended up writing close to 15 essays, and I was rejected to every single program I applied to except one. The silver lining to this was that I practiced more introspective writing than I ever had, and plus, I had a pool of essays I could draw from for college apps. More importantly, the biggest lesson I took from this was if you care enough about achieving a goal, putting in the work is worth it regardless of the results.
2. Try to find fun in everything. If you’re in high school, you are still young – take advantage of this. Try to cherish your time as much as you can, because you’ll likely never have as few responsibilities as you have now. I’ve found the best way to enjoy your time in high school is by surrounding yourself with colorful, loving and humorous people. If you surround yourself with enjoyable people, things like studying for a test can be a lot less tedious. I’ll unabashedly admit that I’ve had a lot of fun doing various school projects because of the people I conquer them with.
3. Do some stereotypical high school stuff.  Even if you don’t like basketball games, or even if you feel like school dances are super awkward, at least go to them once for the experience, for the “at least I know now” feeling. It’s better to cringe (and eventually laugh about) an awkward school dance than to graduate and always wonder about what it was like. For me personally, I wish I had gone to more sports games throughout high school. I tried entering the homecoming soccer game from the wrong side of the DAC. As a senior. Don’t be like me, please.
4. Get involved. From the moment you first enter the halls of BVNW, getting involved is expressed and reinforced a countless number of times. But, getting involved isn’t enough – you have to be getting involved in activities that you’re interested in or think are entertaining. As I went through elementary and middle school, I tried band, orchestra, and choir— all for the wrong reasons. I disliked all of them, and I ended up quitting. As I entered freshman year, I had a plan in my mind that I would only join activities that would look good on a resume. And now as a senior, I can safely say the only activities that lasted were the ones that I am truly passionate about and/or the ones that are a fun time. You’ll know you’ve found the right activity when both passion and fun coexist.
5. Take care of yourself. 8 hours of school. Activity meetings and sports practice. Hours upon hours of homework. Barely any sleep. Repeat. For me, especially during junior year, it was so easy to get caught up in this vicious cycle. Especially on nights where I got less than 5 hours of sleep, it was hard to focus on anything else, and I sometimes ended up falling asleep in class the next day— becoming all the more counterproductive. IT IS OK to take a deep breath, take a step back and slow down. If you’re very busy (and if you follow these tips, it’s likely that you will be), this tip is the hardest to follow. But from past experience, I can safely say it’s much better to take a short break earlier on than to end up incredibly overwhelmed later because of copious amounts of stress piling up in the back of your head.
6. Be friends (or at least friendly) with your teachers. You might not get along with all of them, but your teachers are here to help you and guide you. For the most part, they would not be here if they didn’t want to help you become better. Even if you don’t necessarily like the subject, knowing the teacher and understanding him or her can make all the difference between enjoying or hating a class. Without a doubt, AP English Language was the hardest class I’ve taken in high school. I’m definitely not a morning person and English has never been my favorite subject, but I loved waking up every single morning for Mr. Farrington’s first hour AP English last year. I’ve learned that if you take the time to get to know your teachers, you’ll find that they actually do have interesting lives and experiences outside of school. Mr. Armenta plays (and often succeeds) in poker tournaments. Mrs. Trader taught school in Africa. Mr. Petersen helped build a Wendy’s. The fun facts are honestly endless- if you take the time and get to know your teachers.
7. It’s not too late to change. Whether you’re a freshman or a graduate reading this, know it’s not too late to change what you are unhappy with. Even if you’re a senior like me with just one semester left, it’s not too late to mend the relationship with someone you haven’t talked to since eighth grade. Even if you’re a junior but you’ve never had the guts to try out for a sport team, it’s not too late to try. And even if you’ve been characterized the same way for your whole life, if you’re unhappy with that, it’s not too late to change it. One of my favorite quotes from the movie version of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” sums this up perfectly: “I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.” 

I’m still reinforcing all of these lessons in my mind, but they’re important for all of us to remember. Sure, I learned these tips in high school, but they apply to our lives before, during and beyond high school.