In high school, I really found myself. Looking back, I’ve changed so much since I was a little freshman. I was this shy, quiet girl with not many friends and everything intimidated me. I really didn’t have much confidence at all, and I was constantly worrying about what others thought about me.

I realize now that I’ve done so many things that I never thought I would’ve done before, and I am so proud of this. For example, in freshman year, I only joined a club if my friends did it. I was so scared of being alone. However, in sophomore year, I auditioned for the musical even though none of my friends were doing it. Even though I didn’t get in, I still tried, and that is still mind blowing to me. I also joined theatre in junior year all by myself because it’s what I wanted to do, not what my friends wanted to do. Through theatre, I’ve met so many amazing people, and I wish that I had the courage to join sooner. Doing these things on my own helped me to become more independent and to be my own person. Now, I don’t let fear stop me anymore from doing the things I want to do and from living my life.

During  high school, I also realized how to have fun. In middle school, I had this fixed mindset that you could only go to a dance if you went with a date, and during  freshman year I didn’t want to go. It wasn’t until last minute when my friends pushed me into buying a ticket that I decided to attend. Fast forward to today, and I’ve gone  to every single school dance with my friends and I had so much fun. I didn’t care if I had a date or not because that wasn’t going to stop me from having fun. This gave me a lot of confidence because I really discovered how to love myself and not care what others thought about me.

Lastly, I’ve become so much more social in my high school years and I’ve gained so many strong, long-lasting friendships. I really have transformed into the person I am now because of these friendships. The most valuable thing that I learned is the importance of friendship. In these past years, I found my interests, I found my confidence, I found my friends, and most importantly I found myself.