Know yourself and roll with the punches by Kiorie

Know yourself and roll with the punches by Kiorie - November 2014 Scholarship Essay

“Unlike a drop of a water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in society in which he lives. Man’s life is independent. He was born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self “ - B.R. Ambedkar. Being a high school freshman is going to be tough, being a freshman is like little goldfish swimming with the sharks. However, the best way for one to not be eaten is know who they are as a person before entering school. So easily, can a young soul be lost and forget who they are while trying to fit in. The best way to know who one is, is to know what they're comfortable with and know who they are comfortable with. That is the best way to survive as a freshman, know yourself before someone tries to change you.

First thing first, before school look at yourself in the mirror. What do you like to wear? What’s your favorite kind of music? Who are your friends? Can you really trust them? These are the questions to ask yourself to really tap into who you are as a person and how you want to display yourself. When you first enter high school, your main focus shouldn't be on trying to be popular because in the end being popular cost a whole lot more than being an average joe. As a freshman, the main goal should be establishing yourself, and everything else falls in line. For example, if you like debating join a debate club through school, and you can find friends from there who share similar interests. This will help people see who you truly are as a person and what’s your true interest. From that, you will find people who truly like you for you because you're not faking who you are. Now with being a freshman, there are lots of people who are going to view you as vulnerable and try to take advantage of you. However, this should never become a big problem in your life, because once you know yourself then no one else can get to you. View this situation as a door, no one can get inside unless someone opens it. So never let your guard down, this will help you see who is really trying to be your friend and who is trying to take advantage of you. All in all, you can just survive your first year by just staying true to yourself. If you try to be something you're not that’s what gets you into trouble.

To conclude, freshman year is going to be the hardest year because your new. So many things are going to change around you, but what has to stay the same is you. Be that steady rock in a stream, and don’t let the people around you change you for the worse. The best advice to give is to stay true to yourself because if you don’t know yourself ,who else will. It’s a dog eat dog world out there in high school, and the best way to not get beaten is stay on track with who you are, you don’t want to get lost. 9th grade is going to be a long year, but you can make it.