High school: it’s the best of times; it’s the worst of times.

We are pushed through a treacherous system in which we are brainwashed to believe the notion that numbers such as grades, standardized test scores and attendance are measures of worth, when at the end of the day, our destiny is measured by our willingness to give into the system that is public schooling.

This column is not intended to criticize high school education. Instead, I hope to give insight on the things I believe I have experienced in high school that will help me the most in the long run.
Like many of my peers, I came into high school with a sense of entitlement, causing me to believe that I was superior to my peers and untouchable by reality. That fallacy was quickly extinguished as I learned that most people in high school don’t care about you. They are simply interested in the convenience you bring into their lives. Once that convenience diminishes, so called “friends” gradually detach from your life; crazy, I know.
These acquaintances have led me to realize that it is better to have a handful of associates in whom you can confide solely in rather than an entourage of friends who can disappear from your life in the blink of an eye.

Luckily I was able to figure this out early enough to shrink my circle, including only those who matter the most, in hopes of keeping a hold of my main amigos as I head into college.
Finding sincerity in high school is like finding a four-leaf clover in a field of weeds. Clovers aren’t easy to find, but once you find one, you take pride in it and cherish it with all you’ve got. I have been fortunate enough to find a few clovers over my high school tenure.

My favorite of which is the apple of my eye, my saving grace, my one sunshine, Megan Catherine Via. She is the most kind hearted, caring, honest and selfless person I have come across in my eighteen years, and I am so incredibly blessed to have had her by my side my entire senior year (Yes, that was a shout out).
You hear a ton of stories about people saying you lose all of your childhood friends in high school. I can’t be sure for anyone else, but that could not be more false in my case. Although my childhood friends and I don’t talk as much as I would like, there are no other humans I would trust more than my Moreland Ridge Middle School homies.

Shout out to Crazy Collin, Colton Messner, Domo Montaldi, Mikey Bradley, Collin Bray (nickname disclosed), BK, CMIlli, Paul Pierce, and last but absolutely not least, my brother JOJO. Thanks for keeping it 100 throughout the last few years in the jungle. I couldn’t be more pleased knowing that I am leaving high school with the same friends I started it with, and I hope the same fortune to all.
If you have to take one thing from this I would love it to be as follows: stay true to the real ones, don’t lose sight of who you are or who you want to be, don’t get too caught up in numbers, and take advantage of every single opportunity presented to you. On that note, I’m signing out. PEACE!!