Super Admirer by Trinity

Super Admirer by Trinity - November 2019 Scholarship Essay

High school can be the hardest time of anyone's life. Bullying is a toxic parasite that will never die down and one small comment that seems hardly important could impact someone severely. The high school I attended was overflowing with a ruthless culture. To bring some friendly spirit into school, I would write what the school would soon call “super admirer” notes. The aura at my high school was not the most welcoming. It was not that the students and teachers were attempting to be cruel to one another on purpose, but everyone was so consumed in their own world, myself included, and we all forgot to cherish our classmates and the final years of childhood we had together.
It all began when a transgender student was being judged harshly by others for wearing heels to school. She took this very personally while the other students seemed to forget others had feelings. I did not know this student very well, but I had a fresh pack of sticky notes and colorful pens. The only time I saw this student was when I passed her locker every day after the sixth period. One day I passed by and noticed she was not present so I pulled out my sticky notes and wrote “You seriously rock those heels. You go girl!” and I topped off the note with little heart and flower doodles and stuck it on her locker for her to find later.
The next day, the note vanished from the green locker. I assumed some jerk kid took it down and tossed it, but I saw later that evening she posted a picture of it on social media and said it made her day. This made my heart leap. After that, I found it hard to not leave kind notes around. I started leaving notes with positive messages such as “you can do this” or “you look awesome today.” Only one of my friends knew I did this; however, I began finding notes I did not write posted around the school. None of these new notes were negative, in fact, they were all positive! I would even occasionally find a brightly colored sticky note in my locker complimenting something I wore that day.
Everyone began calling them “super admirer” notes rather than “secret admirer” because they seemed to help everyone’s attitude throughout the week. Soon after, the dull grey and green hallways were filled with colorful and positive notes. Some of these notes even made their way to teachers' doors, thanking them for all the work they did for us. Since graduating, I am not sure the trend has continued, but what I do know is that one small compliment started a revolution of reassurance and kindness. I believe that is how I was able to impact my high school and its student body.