Finding the beauty in making yourself proud

grades and took a mental toll on me. I ended up finishing the year strong through support from my parents and friends, but it wasn’t a year I would choose to relive.

terrified of taking became less of a burden and more of a challenge to me. I wanted to prove to myself how much I was capable of and the person I could be.

Elizabeth Handley Editor-In-Chief

Throughout my life, something I’ve always heard from adults is the importance of a positive mindset. Whether it’s with trying new endeavors or simply completing a routine task, the mindset you have walking into a situation will set the stage for success. Though I never thought much about the advice, I had no idea how much it affected my daily life until I put this year into perspective.

Sophomore year was a tough year for me with it essentially being my first real year of high school without COVID. School became less of something that inspired me and turned into a daunting chore. I didn’t put my best effort forth with my schoolwork which affected my

This past summer, I made a promise to myself that I would hold myself to the high standards I held myself to before COVID. I wanted to reinvent myself and choose a different approach to the school year.

Starting before the first day of school had even begun, I chose to quit swimming and join the diving team. This was already a great first step in becoming the best version of myself as it helped me gain confidence in applying myself and meeting new people.

Once school started, I took extra steps and opportunities to get to know my teachers personally and prioritize my education. If I wasn’t in the pool for practice, I was in the library or office hours. I studied in every spare moment and did countless hours of work to get ahead. All the classes I was previously

Being inducted into the National Honor Society in the fall and living out my first year as Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper were indicators of my dedication.

Even with small changes like waking up earlier in the morning to take time just for myself to get ready for the day and going to the gym in my free time, I became happier and my new lifestyle made me excited for each new day.

My future is something that I take extremely seriously; following in the footsteps of my older sisters and parents is not an easy role to take on. For the longest time, I’ve worked hard to make the people around me proud and exceed the expectations of others, but I never considered the importance of my own self satisfaction.

Learning to live life for myself is a feeling that I can’t get enough of. Feeling academic and athletic validation is good—but it’s incomparable to when you know you’ve earned it.

While not every day was perfect, and I still faced hardships like any other high schooler, realizing the positive effects that my change in attitude had upon my social and school life made all the effort worth it. If I could go back to last year, I wouldn’t change the course of events, but rather tell myself that there is so much more to life when you imagine things like high school put into the bigger picture of your future.

These lessons are ones I will be carrying into second semester, and I encourage everyone to do the same. Some key foundations of this mentality started with learning to accept failures and shift my perspective on uncomfortable situations.

Even if you have to force the smile and outlook at first, eventually, you won’t have to fake it, and your genuine passion will surface.