Looking Back on the Last 4 Years

A few weeks before my high school graduation, my mom asked me what lessons I'd learned from high school. At the moment, it kind of took me off-guard and I said: "I don't know...nothing really". But as I've thought more about it, I came to realize that even though high school had its challenges and it wasn't always my favorite, I learned some valuable lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and I'd like to share a few of them with you.

Don't be afraid to try new things

My freshman year I decided to try out for the cheer team. This was really big for me since I'd never done any sports or extracurricular activities, I just decided to go for it. And I LOVED it!! Even though it was challenging at times, and not always what I expected, I made so many friends and overcame some things I never thought I would. This taught me that even though we might not know how something will turn out, we should just go for it and make the best of it no matter what.

This is is also similar to getting out of your comfort zone, which is something else I did a lot of in high school. (In fact, I wrote a whole post about it that I never posted!) I took some classes, went to activities, and became friends with some people that I probably wouldn't have 5 years ago. I discovered that when I let myself be vulnerable and open to new ideas and experiences, I learned more about myself and those around me.

Get to know LOTS of People

I've never felt like I had a good solid group of friends. Sure, I have a ton of friends, but only a few close ones. I've always wanted to have a "best friend" who I could always talk to and hang out with. My sophomore and junior year I had lunch with my brother and his friends every day, which was fun, but I think sometimes he got annoyed with it, but I was just waiting to find some really good friends. And boy did I find that this year! From the "Senior Sunrise" we had during the first week of school, I was so excited to make new friends and have a fun year. I was able to become friends with people from different grades and it made everything so much more fun. The friendships I made and strengthened are now so strong and I know they will last forever.

It's Okay to Ask for Help

With my disability, I have difficulty doing certain things and I've had to find new ways to do them. And something I've had to work on, and I'll have to continue working on the rest of my life. When I got to high school I discovered there was a lot of new things I was going to struggle with such as going up and downstairs, getting through crowded hallways, and opening wrapped things in my lunch. I realized that I was going to ask for help if I wanted to accomplish certain things.

My sophomore year, my English class was upstairs and I had it just before lunch so the stairs were always crowded after class. After a few times of trying to get down without being able to hold the left railing, I asked the girl I sat next to in class if I could hook arms with her on the way down. She was happy to do it, and it made me feel a lot more comfortable and balanced going down, cause I have fallen before.

As I've mentioned previously, I used to eat lunch with my brother which was nice because he could open things in my lunch for me. But one day he went to lunch with his friends so I was sitting there by myself, and I had a few things that needed to be opened and I didn't know what to do. I kept praying that someone would come and help me, but I didn't have the guts to ask a few of my guy friends who walked by haha :) but eventually someone came and it was all good. Although, I have had to ask people I didn't know in the past.

Be Yourself!

This is probably the most important lesson I learned throughout high school. Everyone has their friend groups and cliques, and I saw people that tried to act like someone they weren't just to be friends with certain people. I've even been guilty of it at times. When you be the person you are, then the right people will want to be friends with you and you will become a better person.

I'm so grateful for all of the lessons and experiences I had in high school. It was an adventure! And now I'm ready for my next one!

Always have hope,

Colby