Be Yourself by Olivia

Be Yourself by Olivia - November 2014 Scholarship Essay

Being an incoming freshman can be a little scary. (Oh, who am I kidding? It's really scary.) You're faced with a new building to navigate through, new people to become acquainted with, and a workload that is more than likely a lot heftier than anything you've previously experienced. As a current high school senior, I'm here to tell you that it can be tough, but if you just take a deep breath, everything will be okay. There are so many pieces of advice that I could give, but if I had to pick just one to share, it would be this.

Be yourself. It's such a short and cliché phrase, but I don't think it could ever apply to a situation as well as it applies to high school. In this new chapter of your life, you will be exposed to such a variety of people. Don't ever feel like you have to change who you are to fit in. You don't have to please everyone, and you have to make sure that you put your happiness first. I'm not saying that you have to find one group of people to be friends with and shut everyone out. I'm telling you to find people who make you happy. Find people who make you feel comfortable and understand who you are and what your goals are. More often then not, these people won't all come from one group. They will come from various backgrounds, which is why I believe it's good to get a feel for everyone and not limit yourself to choosing from a certain group. When I was a freshman, this is something that I didn't really practice. I tried to be friends with everyone, and after a while, I realized that I didn't really have close friends who I could talk to; all I had was a ton of acquaintances. To be honest, I wasn't happy. So I turned that around. I stuck with the people who had goals and mindsets similar to my own, and with them, I became a much happier person.

Everyone always says that you truly find out who your friends are in high school, and there could not be any more truth to that statement. In the 4 years of your high school career, you are also figuring out exactly who you are. Find people who support you and are really there for you, and with those friendships, you will find happiness and a new perspective on the first year of your freshman-to-senior journey.