The Key: Tolerance and a Positive Attitude by Maryssa

The Key: Tolerance and a Positive Attitude by Maryssa - November 2014 Scholarship Essay

High school is an amazing experience filled with opportunities, friendships, and life-long memories. Before I began my freshman year, I had no idea what to expect. I suspected that nothing would change, but in reality, everything did. This change, though, was definitely for the better. The lessons that I have learned through these past four years are vital life lessons that I will inevitably carry with me for a lifetime. For the most important of them, I wish that I’d had a tutor to teach me before I learned them the hard way. Little did I know, these lessons made my high school career turn into the adventure of a lifetime.
The first day of high school was the most intimidating of them all. It seemed as if all of the upperclassmen were staring down on us like we were prey, but by the end of the day, I had figured out what they all really wanted. They searched for the sense of major seniority just because they were up to a couple years older. I became less intimidated simply by realizing that they were just like the rest of us. One, two, or three short years prior to that day, these older students were in our exact position, so why should I give them the gratitude of being a little older? I shouldn’t, and neither should anyone else. They understood our position and were only trying to take advantage of our frailty. I had classes with students of every high school class and even became friends with a few. For those who still treated the underclassmen poorly, I learned that tolerance is the key. Nothing was going to change by becoming angry or upset with another student.
Besides the paranoia of the upperclassmen, many of us were anxious about the new teachers and students, especially since some of our local schools had merged at the high school level, and many of us did not know each other. Everything that I was used to had changed, but I took a chance and approached some of the new students, and I’m glad that I did. It was comforting to know that I was not the only nervous one. However, I did encounter some students whom I did not relate well to. Overall, I thank them for this because, unknowingly, they taught me that I will not agree with everyone in my life. This is the same for everyone as they will meet people that they do not relate well to. We must learn to tolerate and work with people, regardless of the circumstance because, one day, many of us will have a coworker or boss that we cannot seem to get along with, yet we must find a way to for the sake of our job. In this case, it was for the sake of my education.
My high school career is only one meager example of many, yet I still have one sincere message to all upcoming freshmen: remember that high school is meant to be a positive experience and a safe place for everyone. The most important lesson that I can teach you from my high school years is that everyone is unique, so if someone does not like who you are, then they are not worth your time. Treat people the way that you want to be treated. Not to say that you should fail to stand up for what you believe in or succumb to peer pressure, but be a positive influence on those around you, especially those younger. You are a role model and you can, and will, influence those around you more than you will ever realize. From this day forward, your life is yours. The path that you choose for yourself today will impact your entire future. You are your future, and so are those around you. As my school motto states, “do the right thing because it is the right things to do.”