Let’s be honest, High School is a stressful time. We’ve got APs, sports, extra-cirriculars, and every single teacher and coach breathing down your neck because they all think their class or activity is most important. But the problem is, you can only have one most important thing.

I have been beyond blessed to go to a school where there is a plethora of activities, sports, clubs, and classes to be a part of. The problem I later ran into was that you can not accomplish them all no matter how hard you try. You have to sort through everything that’s “alright” or you “don’t mind doing” and find what you love. If you don’t stick to just doing what makes you happy then you’ll just end up curled up in a ball at two in the morning hating yourself and you don’t want that, trust me. So while you’re young try new things and experiences at Costa, but at the same time keep in mind what really sticks to you because that’s what you should focus on.

I know that colleges may put a blunder on this perfect plan claiming they want a well-rounded student but as a college accepted student attending Emerson College in the fall of 2013 I may know a thing or two about that process. What they really want is someone who’s involved and yes well-rounded, but most importantly passionate. Barely being involved with the billion clubs at Costa can’t compare to being President of one club all four years. And I’m not saying that you can’t change your mind about what you love or try different things. My advice is to never take on anything that you know you won’t like just because you feel like you have to or that you won’t get into college without it.

Find your passions in life and in school and do everything you can to become the best. Always choose taking that elective class you love over not taking a zero. Never waste a moment in school not learning and educating yourself into becoming someone other than who you want to be. Follow your passions and what you love doing and you’ll thank yourself (and me) later.