So much of the past four years of high school has felt like a series of convoluted questions being hurled at me. Which classes will you take, how many APs? Who will your friends be, how will you spend your summers? What do you want to do after high school, where do you want to go to college? 

Freshman year came with a quick sense of disorientation and panic as the questions came at me faster and faster. Opportunities slipped by me as these questions cluttered my head and left no space for original, creative thinking. Confused, I threw all my energy into school. If anyone wanted to hang out or invite me to something, I turned it down, instead opting to stay back and focus. 

I held onto the same friends, joined a few clubs, and worked hard to get through freshman year but did not go much beyond that. My motivation and excitement for trying new things that had been a constant presence my whole life was buried underneath the stress and anxiety of not having it all figured out. For the first time in my life, I had to force myself to learn, and by the end of the year, I knew I had to put an end to the rut, get outside of my comfort zone, and actually start saying yes to new things.

Saying yes at the start of sophomore year, even and especially when it made me uncomfortable, helped me grow immensely. I started feeling more interest and excitement as I spent more time with people and went out more. I attended dozens of different club meetings with a friend, from service clubs to honor societies. And, the ones that had the most profound impact on me were ones that I didn’t think I would love.

When I first joined newspaper my junior year for one semester, I didn’t imagine I would continue it through to senior year, but newspaper quickly became a constant that I loved having; aside from bringing back my passion for writing, it truly allowed me the creative freedom to learn and delve into topics of interest to me, from music to current events. Student Ambassadors and Leo Club additionally helped me give back and find connections in places I wouldn’t have expected them.

Even though committing myself to a variety of activities was time-consuming, they felt so worth it in the end because there was value to be gained from each and every experience. If I could give my freshmen-year-self advice, I would say to constantly challenge yourself out of your comfort zone and say yes to everything because you’re only in high school once and you won’t get another chance!