When trying to maneuver through the ups and downs of high school, it’s increasingly easy to get caught up in the flurry of craziness and emotions and you might find yourself just trying to go through the motions. But that’s no way to live.

As cliché as it might sound, if there’s one thing I have learned throughout experiencing blossoming friendships, withering friendships, romantic relationships, parent drama, grade stress, you name it- it’s to not lose yourself and your identity throughout the process.

Aside from just high school, life will always throw hurdles and obstacles at you. There will always be trials to face. But it’s about how you face them and tackle them as a person that counts the most. Are you going to stand strong with courage, dignity, and integrity? Or will you cower and back down at life’s first threat? High school is a huge chapter in your life in which you decide what kind of person you will be. Although you certainly have the power to change who you are at any given time, high school is when you form the habits of which you will carry on throughout adulthood.

So when you’re walking through the locker halls on your way to your next class, do so with your head held high and full of pride, but humble enough to recognize and address your faults. Never think you’re too good to mess up, or too high-and-mighty to talk to the “loser” kid. Be meek, not weak. Reach out to that kid who needs someone to sit with at lunch, help a teacher that it trying to unlock his/her classroom with a mountain of books in their arms, hold the door open for the person behind you, spot the kid in front of you in the lunch line who is a couple dollars short, because these are the moments in life that build character and determine what kind of person you are. Don’t lose sight of who you are and who you want to be because someone sways you to think or feel otherwise. Never forget that it’s okay to make mistakes, just recognize them, take responsibility, and reconcile with whom you may have hurt. Dare to make a difference and take a risk or two in life. Take advantage of these four years to let yourself be molded into the person that you were designed to be, and don’t ever take a single day for granted because each one is a blessing and you’re never guaranteed to have another.