Mrs. Dallam hates the verb ‘to be’. Frankly, I agree. ‘To be’ is just a phrase of existence, that something is present. Nobody wants just to be, we want to include some action words in our life.

     You can go through high school just ‘being.’ You can sit through every class, waiting for the clock to hit two and book it home. But just being present in school isn’t what makes it worthwhile, so stop simply existing and start making your life matter. 

     I went through high school trying to make the most of the chances I received anywhere from saying ‘hi’ to the guy I just met the other day to starting my own club with my friends. 

     You see, I want to explore every opportunity within my life and discover wherever each one may lead. Think about it like getting into a car with your best friend and picking directions to turn until you end up somewhere new. There are boundless opportunities to grasp at, and they just need to be grasped. 

     It should also be noted that the best part about these four years is how short-lived these decisions can be. Have you always wanted to try out for basketball? Go ahead and see it through! If you don’t end up liking the sport, it’s only one season. But if you do, then those are good memories you can hold on to for the rest of your life. 

     I met all of my closest friends by living within this ideology. 

     Freshman year, I decided to take Drama 1, something I had no experience in, to strengthen my public speaking skills instead of taking Fine Art Prep as my art credit. In turn, I opened myself up to meeting people that had different interests than my own. Drama 1 is a very group-focused class, so during one of the first classes, I needed to find a group of people to work with. I found someone I had never talked to before in my life, and after working on project after project with her, we became close friends. 

    By spending time with her, I became friends with her friends, and soon enough I had an entire new group of friends that I would never have shared experiences with if I didn’t take a risk and throw myself into a class I had no experience in. 

    If I lived life in the background, I would never have screamed One Direction with my friends in my car with the sunroof open, created the coolest World History final project where I died of the bubonic plague, or stormed the field after the crazy homecoming game win. 

    Leaving high school regretting you didn’t do more, or live out the ‘true high school experience’ would stink, so why not take a chance and put yourself out there.