Everyone has been looking forward to high school since they first enrolled in kindergarten. When the nine years of lead up passes, high school itself goes by before you know it. These four years are some of the most transformative and adventurous of our entire lives, but if you don’t take advantage of them, you lose all of the benefits.

There are certain times when one can easily identify that the situation that they are in will become an amazing story to tell. I have had that experience multiple times in high school, and have found that the best times that I have had can all be told as an interesting story. Whether it’s intriguing breakups, fun nights out, or tomfoolery on a school trip, gathering stories to tell has been the best part of my high school experience.

In order to put myself in the best position possible to acquire as many stories as I could, I strived to involve myself in many different activities. I was in student council for my first three years, joined DECA not knowing what it was, and this year took a swing at being a journalist. Each of these clubs have given me a lifetime of stories to tell from Applebee’s nights with student council to becoming a world champion with DECA. Without these amazing organizations I would not have been able to have as much fun as I did.

Outside of school, gathering stories comes in the form of hanging out with friends. I realized late in my time in high school that the best way to have a good time is to just say yes. Of course that comes with limitations with the law as well as kindness, but if I was invited to go somewhere or do an activity, the best answer was always yes. The stories I have gained from simply saying yes to an invitation have been some of my favorites.

Ultimately, time in high school is limited. You only have four years to join clubs, hang out with friends, and gather stories, and it all goes by way too quickly. For me, nine years of lead up was totally worth it.