For the past four years, I have heard the phrase “just do it!” or “give it a shot you may like it!” as I stepped foot into Parkdale. Any oblivious freshmen would listen because they knew very little about high school. Trust me, sometimes not listening to those words is for the best.

If I would’ve listened to all the juniors who told me not to take chemistry my sophomore year, then I wouldn’t have spent hours trying to learn how to balance chemical equations. Many students told me taking honors and AP courses would look good on college applications, while it’s partially true, they usually left out the amount of work you would receive. Coming from someone who has taken honors and AP classes, don’t sign up for classes you know you have zero interest in! It would only hurt you in the long run. You should rather take classes you have an interest in.

Nonetheless, the one thing I will 100 percent stand by is to join clubs! As someone who didn’t start to get involved until their sophomore year, joining a club will help you make new friends and everlasting memories. I didn’t believe it when others said joining clubs can make your high school experience fly by quicker. 

Despite being very hesitant at first to join SGA, I can firmly say it has definitely altered my high school experience for the better. I have discovered aspects of myself I would not have imagined prior to entering Parkdale. I learned what it means to be a leader and advocate for issues in the community and take on leadership roles within the county.

There is so much you can discover about yourself through clubs and sports! As cliche as it sounds, you just have to step a bit out of your comfort zone and learn not to limit yourself to things you are afraid to do. 

You don’t have to take it from me, take it from the U.S. Census Bureau. “42 percent of children who took lessons were highly engaged compared to 33 percent of children who did not,” reports a study conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. “The report also examined school engagement and other measures of child well-being.”

These past four years truly go by quicker than one could imagine. Listening to other students tell me, “just do it because you never know the outcome” has changed the way I viewed everything around me. While it’s always good to listen to others who have wisdom when it comes to things you should and shouldn’t do in high school, no one truly knows their limitations, but themselves. All this to say, try new things while also prioritizing yourself and remaining authentic to your personality, it’s okay to not do things you may not find much interest in.