As you stroll through the park, you notice a piece of paper shaped like a rectangle buried under a rock. You stop in your tracks and lean down to examine the object. It is a 50 dollar bill. You assume it is your lucky day for finding this prize out of the blue.

Whether you decide to take the money or not is a completely different story, but the chances of finding it were pretty slim. Is this luck, or just coincidence?

The opinion of luck is always varied depending on the person. Some people happen to have good fortune all the time, while others seem to constantly face miserable situations. 

So… is luck real? Or is luck just a result of our decisions and actions?

“I believe in luck because there are always chances of the smallest probabilities to occur,” junior Shawna Lee said. “The randomness in life allows us to gain what we call luck.”

Being lucky seems to be something that always happens to other people rather than ourselves. After the numbers are drawn on a huge lottery, it always seems to be one lucky person winning more money than they can imagine, but it’s never us. 

“I feel like I am an unlucky person because most good things that come to me don’t come out of luck it’s more like my own work, but whenever it’s out of my hands and up to fate it seems as if there’s always a bad outcome,” junior Marci Hanna said. 

However, those who are luckier may not restrict luck to huge events. Luck can come in small forms, like running into a friend at the store. 

“I think everyone is very lucky, but not everyone notices how lucky they are,” junior Maren O’Connor said.

For instance, luck can be the situation you are born into. Some may think it is lucky to be born into a stable family or have the relatives they do. 

“The luckiest thing to ever happen to me would probably be my family,” history teacher Mr. Joe Marchenia said. “I was lucky to be born into my mom and dad’s world, and have my brother as well.” 

Sometimes, one can feel even luckier if a certain heritage or history of luck runs in the family. 

“I do believe in luck,” junior Connor Cracium said. “My birthday is St. Patrick’s day and I’m part Irish so it’s in my genetics to have luck.”

Being Irish doesn’t necessarily mean good fortune is always present. O’Connor comes from an Irish family with some unlucky instances in their past.

“There is actually sort of a stereotype around the phrase ‘Luck of the Irish,’” O’Connor said. “When you look back at Irish history, there are a lot of unfortunate instances. For example, my family came to America during the potato famine.” 

No matter how lucky or unlucky we seem to be, everyone has at least one good story of how luck has been on their side.

“The luckiest thing that has ever happened to me is when I was at Cedar Point,” junior Emma Sawdon said. “My dad’s phone fell from a ride. I found it right under a gate, an arms width away, without any scratches or cracks.”

It’s not normal in life to be extremely lucky all the time. But sometimes, we can create our own luck to determine the outcome we desire. 

“For the most part, I believe that we make our own luck in life,” Mr. Marchenia said. “If there is something in life you want, you need to put in the work, effort, and stay disciplined enough to achieve it. However, sometimes coincidence and chance collide in our favor, and this, I would call lucky.”

 Sometimes we rely on signs or good luck charms to bring us good fortune. The Rochester Varsity Cheer team has good luck charms including a bee, a ladybug, and a horseshoe.

“I strongly believe in our cheer lucky charms especially the ladybugs because I rarely see ladybugs,” Hanna said. “If I ever do it’s on a cheer competition day or a game day or something like that.”

In life, relying on luck for success can be a dangerous move. It is better to rely on hard work and dedication to bring success.

“I think hard work plays a bigger role in success,” senior Ryley Butz said. “Giving all you’ve got and working towards your goals rather than hoping for some luck gets you a lot farther. Sitting around hoping to get lucky won’t get you as far in the future.”

True forms of pure luck are so rare. It is more likely that planning, or lack of it, plays a huge role in the outcome of a situation.

“The things that are considered lucky sometimes come as a result of preparation or hard work, and then things just fall into place,” Cracium said. “Sometimes people say they are unlucky because they forgot their homework, but really that’s not luck, it’s lack of preparation. Sometimes luck shows up in the form of winning a prize or gaining something unexpectedly, but this is less frequent.”

In a situation like this, some are strong believers that luck does not exist. Those who are more focused on logic and reason look past the probability of luck and are more focused on the outcome. 

“I don’t believe in luck,” Sawdon said. “I think things happen to certain people for a certain reason.”

At the end of the day, our luck may be more present than we realize. We may not notice how lucky we are until the moment has passed. It just takes some reflection and an open mindset to realize that luck is all around us.

“Luck is when something you hope to happen, and or not expecting at all, happens for your benefit,” Mr. Marchenia said. “You may only realize it’s lucky in hindsight.”