BE IN THE Worth THE CLIMB

If I’m being honest, I hated high school. Most alumni would describe it as the best time of their lives. I, on the other hand, felt I was constantly facing an uphill battle.

Freshman year of high school, I dealt with countless toxic friends. My sophomore year, I experienced a destructive car crash. All four years, I was called stupid or worthless straight to my face. Someone even told me they could care less about my existence.

I never felt as though I fit in. Each new trend had passed by the time I caught up with it. I was never in the front row at football games. Like most teenagers, I didn’t find peace in getting high or blacking out.

My junior year, I was diagnosed with severe anxiety. The diagnosis explained why I felt like eyes always lingered on me in the hallways. Why I was genuinely afraid of coming to school. Why I experienced full blown panic attacks in the parking lot and would not show up to class.

semesters left to have fun before we all went our separate ways. After being stuck at home for a year, I’ve realized the thing I’ve missed about school wasn’t even about school; it was seeing other people, and having fun with the time I had left.

So I’ve decided to change my mindset about how I act during school. During spirit weeks, you’re going to look for the people who went all out, not the people who were too embarrassed with dressing a certain way. During sports games, the rowdiest crowd is the most fun crowd, and the most fun people at the games are the ones who have all the energy. When I reported the football game against Centaurus on our home field, I was scared. I was all by myself, in front of both student bodies, taking pictures of the game. Nobody was rooting for the photographers that night, but feeling the energy of our crowd made me proud of this school. That night, we showed that Spangenberg Field was Monarch’s home field. Now that my time as a student here is coming to an end, apparently I’ve become a wiser person. My advice? Find the excitement in every moment, step outside your comfort zone, and don’t be afraid to act like a fool every once in a while. The most exciting people I’ve met find the most fun way to enjoy the moment, and that even involves acting foolish in the moment. Are they afraid of how they look in front of their peers? Of course they do. But they do it proudly.

— Minh Anh Le

I found solace in my soft sheets at home, the only place that really felt safe and free from judgment.

I felt I had no path. I felt I had no passions. When I was rejected from multiple colleges, I felt as though all of the comments that had been directed my way were confirmed. Maybe I was worthless. Maybe I really was stupid.

I found solace in my school’s newspaper class from people who changed the course of my high school career. People who were kind, and genuinely cared about me. I felt as though I had a second family. They showed me that I could be my authentic self, and that was enough. I now understand that I’m not stupid in any way, I just put effort into things I care about.

I’m proud of myself for pushing through each hurtful word. I’m proud of myself for releasing relationships in my life that no longer serve me. I’m proud of myself for choosing a future path that actually excites me. I finally choose me. My advice to you? If you feel as though you don’t have a place, know that high school is only the beginning. The world offers so much more and so much better. I promise that your path will show itself to you. Know that what is meant for you will never pass you by. Take life day by day, and take time to understand your likes and dislikes. The years are gone before you know it.

I wouldn’t change anything because my experiences made me, me. Each mountain I had to climb was worth it.

— Arianna Bergman