High school is a mess. It’s chaotic, stressful, and draining. Surviving all of this for four years straight can seem like an impossible feat and, for my first two years, that’s how I viewed it. I struggled with how to persevere through these struggles, lacking motivation to do homework or to try in school. I was lost and struggled with finding a clique or a group of close friends. I played things like football and track and field, and I tried so hard to force myself to love sports and activities that just weren’t for me. I felt as though I no longer knew who I was. Then, in my junior year, I joined an activity that I used to love in middle school, something I used to have so much passion for. I joined show choir, and everything changed.

During my sophomore year I was getting more and more into choir and music, and I had begun to hang out with people in choir more. As the end of the second semester was approaching, I heard a lot about auditions for the school’s show choir and my interest peaked. I used to be really good at it, and I’d get to hang out with a bunch of these new friends more. I was scared, though. I originally joined the group my summer before freshman year, but left because of the way some of the members treated me. I didn’t want to put myself into another toxic position, and I didn’t want to overflow my schedule with something I wouldn’t enjoy. But after some convincing from my mom, I eventually made the best decision of my life: I auditioned.

Since then, I’ve made so many memories, met so many people, and smiled so much more often. It’s made me more comfortable with pushing myself out of my comfort zones and trying new things, like drama and rugby. My grades have once again reached where they were at during middle school, and I have a newfound hunger for success. However, the biggest advancement in my life since joining the show choir is something rather unexpected: how I treat and value others. Prior to this lifestyle change I wasn’t particularly mean, but I was ignorant of what the other people were going through. Sure, I would still make conversation with everyone and help people feel like they fit in, but oftentimes my jokes were rude and insensitive and it was very rare that I ever checked up on the people around me. I lived my life centered around me.

Of course, there are other factors that have played a role in the change in how I treat others, like my newfound connection to God and the natural process of maturing, but I’d be idiotic to say that show choir didn’t play one of, if not the, biggest role in the way I now treat others. I now live my life seeking out others, whether we are close or not, prioritizing the mental health of the people around me, and making sure to check in on the people I call my friends. I have learned how to sympathize with other people’s struggles, even if I’ve never experienced anything like them. Performing on stage with such great people has taught me what true kindness looks like, and that true success and legacies are found in the way you make others feel.

So if anyone was to ever ask me what’s the best advice for someone in high school, I’d tell them this: whether it be a sport, club, job, music, or a hobby, find something that you enjoy and are passionate about. It not only helps carry you through the mayhem that is high school, it helps mold you into the person you’ll become.