Stay True, Be You. by Makenzie

Stay True, Be You. by Makenzie - November 2014 Scholarship Essay

Looking back at my 4 years of high school, I’ve learned a lot of tough lessons. I’ve dealt with many hardships, gone through many levels of classes, played sports, and been part of several different friend groups. However, being a mentor to freshman players as the varsity soccer captain, there seems to be a common theme in the struggles of daily life: people changing. Now we all change quite a lot through the years, and it’s usually not necessarily noticeable until we look back at how things used to be. But unfortunately, with the beginning of high school comes the big no-no: alcohol and partying. One of the hardest things to do is to watch a friend throw their life away with early experimenting with drugs and alcohol. It’s all too easy to judge others at this point, seeing yourself as the better one and feeling high and mighty over everything else, but doing that makes you no better than they are. It’s even easier to get caught up in drama with these adventures, when you try to step in and help them. But what’s hard about this situation is not giving into it yourself. The temptation of the feelings people say alcohol brings is almost too much sometimes; it can relieve your stress, it’s fun, and everyone is doing it, so why shouldn’t you?

The most valuable piece of advice I can offer is to stay true to you in these situations. The “fun” of these experiences is in no way comparable to the horror that follows. The lows get lower, and everything gets harder, perhaps because you are literally killing your brain. The tolerance develops, it takes more to get you to that high, and it’s more desirable.

It’s hard being the only one who says no. You begin to feel like an outcast, like you’re “missing out” on something. But the truth is, you’re really only missing out on public embarrassment, awful headaches, and ruining relationships with your family and your grades. It’s so easy to have fun without doing these things. There are sports, there are clubs, and, believe it or not, there are a lot of other kids not doing them either.

High school is a time of self-discovery in awkward ways. You may find that people you thought would be your friends forever disappear after the first quarter of freshman year, or that you are super into some old TV show or punk band. But the good part about this is that there are so many other people who will be the same. You can branch out and have several friend groups, try tons of new things, and find new people you never thought you would be friends with. That is the beauty about change in high school. As long as you stay true to yourself, you will have fun. You will have the best 4 years of your life. You will have tons of great memories.

So why change who you are to be like the people around you? You are the best version of yourself out there. Don’t worry about what other people think, because as long as you are happy that is all that matters. Stay true, be you.