10 things I learned in high school

How to have fun

I started to break out to try new things. There is fun in the challenge of something new, but to find new things that you like, and even things you don’t like, is also exciting.

Prioritizing

In high school I was a top student as well as an athlete that had two seasons overlap with each other. There were days I woke up for 5am practice, went to school, had conditioning after school and then practice in the evening and at some point I still had to do homework. In high school, thankfully those nights did not get too late and I still had time to go to a football or basketball game. Looking back I am in awe that I was able to do that all. 

BYOF (bring your own food)

While trying to balance those long days of practices and school or all day competitions, I learned to bring my own food (to just about everything). I would pack up breakfast, lunch and dinner plus midday snacks in the morning so that I would not have to spend money on food or rely on other people to bring food. I learned that even when there is a food sign up, people would forget or I would not like or trust what they brought. I brought my own food that my mom or I made or bought at the grocery store. It used up the food at home and I knew it was good and reliable. 

My love of photography

I already knew I liked photography, but high school was my next phase in my photography journey. I joined the yearbook committee and “borrowed” the school camera whenever I could to take pictures for the yearbook, but also for myself. About midway through high school I bought my own camera, similar model to the one at school. I volunteered to cover as much as I could for the memorializing photobook that students would receive at the end of the year and to gain experince and crafting my photographic style. I was part of the team that told the story of my school through pictures. 

Rules of sports

I already knew I loved sports, but this was my time to learn the intricacies of sports I did not regularly interact with. I would attend football games and basketball games and soccer games and swim meets and volleyball games. With enough attendance at these events I started to learn the rules and some of the strategy. If sports are not your thing this similar knowledge can be acquired for music, theater, art, etc.

Start to find your people

For my first year of high school I attended a school that was considered the worst in the district. There was drug use. There were gangs. It was an old school that offered few advanced classes. On top of that, I was that shy, scared little freshman that was worried about being surrounded by all the chaos. I wondered how I could blend into the walls as much as possible to avoid the evil that supposedly surrounded me. And you know what? I made it. I had my group of friends, some from middle school, some new. I had my classmates. And I had my teammates. I kept to my groups, though not denying the opportunity to interact with others if it was for the sake of class or my team. I found people that I was comfortable with, that I felt safe with. From this skill I was ready to find my people in the next phase of my life. 

Very few will continue in their area of high school excellence after high school

Senior superlatives are funny and encapsulate people where they are in the moment, but after graduation, no body really cares. The number of jocks in high school significantly decreases after as not everyone will go to college much less be selected to compete in a divisional school and there are even few that can go pro after high school. The built in structure of choir, theater, debate club, mathletes does not exist outside the walls of school; instead you have to find it or create it yourself. And in case you did not already catch the drift of this tip, being valedictorian does not matter either. It is a great goal and accomplishment, but book smart in high school is just that. 

The saying “peaked in high school” becomes evident before graduation

The quarterback, the head cheerleader, the popular kids, the mean girls will be like everyone else after graduation, trying to find their place in the world. There are also some that have trouble moving on from high school. I admitted reminisced in the high school memories for a few months after graduation and the first few months of college, but eventually the new memories took precedence, overshadowing those of high school.

Start to see the diversity of the world

In the US, high schools funnel together multiple middle schools into one larger building. This therefore brings together people you most likely have never interacted with before. For me I went to school with same 70 to 80 people from preschool to 8th grade, then my high school freshman class was closer to 300 people. Imagine how many different personalities and values will appear in four times as many people. 

High school matters, but it is not the end all be all

When applying for jobs the standard guideline is to only put the last seven years of work experience on your resume. Life continues. Things move on. The further you get away from something in time and space, the less relevant it seems. High school is a great experience as it happens and can foster many memories, but it is four years (or less). By the end of high school, that part of your life is less than 25% of your total life. If you live to be 50, high school is less than 10% of life, and if you live to be 100, high school is less than 5%. THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO LIFE THAN HIGH SCHOOL.