When I reflect on my past four years, I have trouble coming up with a single word to accurately describe all of the changes that occurred during my time at DGS. I feel like I’ve learned a lot—how to manage my time between schoolwork and sports, how to build solid relationships, and how to start becoming the person that I want to be.

However, I didn’t learn these lessons until my final two years of high school. My freshman and sophomore years were hard because I spent a lot of time trying to “fit in” and be a person that was not truly me. I struggled hardcore until the end of my junior year when I realized that it was pointless to spend my time shying away from the qualities that make me who I am.

During my sophomore year, my English teacher Mr. Parker, told us to surround ourselves with people who raise us up. I could attribute a lot of different things to my growth in high school, but finding activities like newspaper helped me grow into the person that I want to be. Being surrounded by people who genuinely encouraged me and pushed me to be my best made me a better person.

So for anyone who’s struggling to find their place somewhere: find an activity, just one, that you’re wholeheartedly passionate about, find your people in that activity and don’t look back.

This article is from a series, “Looking back.”

Find the others here:

Jayna Bardahl

Vince Vena

Matthew Hollendonner

Elizabeth Rose Szpytek