I have always thought of myself as a decent student. While I was certainly never the girl with color-coded notes, assignment spreadsheets, or pre-planned study schedules, I knew how to work hard. I was intimately familiar with my own capabilities, and I knew that I could walk away with a grade that I was happy with if I applied enough effort when necessary. And for all intents and purposes, this system worked well … for high-school me.
It might sound cliche, but the only way I’ve been able to truly move past rejection and stoke personal growth is by viewing failure as a gateway to second chances rather than an excuse to give up.
People change. That’s a big part of what college is for: self-development and personality exploration. These are the years we decide who we want to be, and more practically, who we are going to be.
“Confused and already in tears, I shut my laptop and attempted to ignore what I thought was a trap that would only lead to further disappointment.”
Features editor Archer Parquette remembers his failure-filled time as a high school footballer.
“That competitive energy that once propelled us down the field can be channeled into a desire to do the best we can during midterm week.”
History repeats itself, observes features columnist DJ Recny as he uses professorial anecdotes and historical events to navigate through life.
“I would never deny that the perpetrators of this chant should have been punished and forced to apologize, but Newton North never had to apologize for its chants.”
“Not enough is said on the virtue of being average, or the statistical reality that most of us are going to be average at most that we do.”
Assistant Features Editor Kayla Fernando walks down the halls of high school one more time.
