Maturing With Each Step Towards Individuality by Florencio

Maturing With Each Step Towards Individuality by Florencio - November 2014 Scholarship Essay

“Out of the way freshmeat!” These were the first words I heard as a freshman at my old high school. I did not comprehend why upperclassmen looked at freshmen with disdain. I would always have this internal conversation with myself thinking what I did wrong. I did not even know most of the people and they treated me as if I were an alien from another galaxy. I did not say anything, why bother, fueling their hate would only make them mad. I think back and it seems like it was only yesterday when I entered high school as a very nervous freshman. As time passed, I realized that the hatred I was getting was because it seemed to be a tradition. Treat freshman like they were less than human. What a joke, I can only laugh now that I realize how naive some people can be in high school in order to be popular. Most of my peers only wanted to conform and be part of a clique. I realized that I was more mature than most of the cliques in my old high school and because of it I did not have any problems. I only wished that someone had told me that being an individual simplifies everything. This is not a bad thing.

Most freshmen are afraid, but that is okay fear has a way of making us get out of our comfort zone and mature. Of course, when someone is afraid it seems like it is necessary to have someone that can comfort them with their problems. Everyone in high school has their own problems and maybe they are just looking for a friend, but try not to get to comfortable with that person. In reality you might not want to go to the same college as the years pass and both of you might take a different path. It happens all the time. When you are an individual that can solve your own problems without any help it makes you a valuable person. Problems will always exist, but that person might not always be there to hold your hand. I’m not saying do not make any friends. I’m saying chose them wisely because sometimes the reasons for that friendship can mislead you and take you out of your goal which is to go to college. It might seem lonely at first and it is sometimes. Nevertheless, great things are hard to achieve alone, but not impossible.

It is the struggle of the individual that makes great ideas happen. The Constitution was written by an individual and not the masses. Of course, being an individual is the road less taken in high school even though it will be the best decision you will make. Spending time by yourself lets you figure out your goals in life and it starts by knowing the type of person you want to become. No one knows you better than the person staring back at you in the mirror. Once you acknowledge that you as an individual are worth more than those conforming to the masses then you will realize how great you will become.