High school is weird. In high school, every single, solitary day will probably happen nearly identically to the one before it, and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably spend most of every single solitary day (of the week, of course! Let’s be real: the weekends are actually pretty rad) wishing the whole painfully uneventful and stressful experience away, only to replace the reality of it with daydreams of a fast-paced future.

But as my high school experience comes to a close, I have one super important tidbit of adult-esque wisdom to share with all of you who are stuck here for the next year (or two or three): you’re not “stuck” here. Despite the fact that being in high school can sometimes seem like a total drag (or a total trainwreck…depends on the day, really), the quicker you learn to make the most of it, the better.

I remember what I wore on my first day of freshman year, but I honestly couldn’t tell you what I wore for my first day of senior year, and I think that’s an indication of how much perspective I’ve gained throughout high school. When I first started, admittedly, I cared a lot about how I looked, about who I was friends with — about what people thought of me — and while I had a pretty good time freshman year, I was still missing something very important. I was missing the fact that as long as I was happy with who I was, then it didn’t matter what anyone else thought of who I was. And eventually, I also realized that if I wasn’t happy with who I was, I always had the power to change that.

You have the power to change yourself and your high school experience by changing the way you see the world. Instead of waking up every day and assuming it’ll be just as dull as the day before, make it a day worth living. Do something different, even if it’s as simple as switching up the routes you take to your classes or striking up a conversation with someone you’ve never said one word to.

High school won’t be fun if you don’t make the most of it. Challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone on the daily; if you haven’t done something today that you thought was crazy or impossible yesterday, then find something you thought was crazy or impossible (or both) yesterday, and do it — because in these instances is where you find out who you really are. You might be braver or funnier or kinder or smarter than you’ve ever before believed yourself to be.

So, yeah, pretty weird, right? But, hey (to end on quite possibly one of the most cliché notes ever)…that’s high school. Embrace it and remember that it’s only what you make it.

Stay sweet, Manhattan High. May you always have a smile on your face and a copy of “The Mentor” in your hand.

Love always,

Danielle