Junior year is said to be the hardest time for a student. With the pressure of college applications, the SAT, scholarships, and AP classes, this is potentially one of the first adult situations that a student can encounter. During this point in life, the decisions being made will heavily impact the rest of a student’s future; the responsibility falls solely on them.

This is also a time for self-discovery. At this age, I felt like everyone around me knew what they wanted to do with their life and who they wanted to be, but for me, it was not so simple.

I knew I wanted to go to college and be successful, but I did not have a plan on how to do so. I also knew I wanted to be a nice and caring, but I was the type of person to let others walk all over me, and I did not know how to stand up for myself.

I began feeling unsure of my choices, and no longer liked the person I had become. Instead of altering my way of life, I changed nothing and continued to feel bad for myself. This was the biggest mistake I made.

Eleventh grade was my groundhog day, and that is the only way to describe it. I was stuck in a cycle of self pity and doing the bare minimum just to get by.

It took me many months to finally decide to put an end to it. All of my friends were telling me to remove myself from an unhealthy situation, and for a while I did not listen out of stubborness.

Though I was stressed, I could not move forward with my life until I got rid of the negativity surrounding it, which caused even more stress. Without the help of my friend, Audri, I would not be where I am today. She inspired me to move forward and do things to better myself, and because of this, I discovered my dream of being a journalist.

I began taking the necessary steps to prepare for my future. For the first time in my life, I was truly content with who I was.

As a teenager, I do not have everything figured out quite yet and that is alright. Even if I am not sure where I want to go in life, I can take pride in the fact that I am preparing to succeed both academically and socially.

The important thing is to do what makes you happy and move toward your goal. Everything has not fallen into place yet, but eventually it will.