My advice to the incoming freshman is this: just be yourself and do what YOU want to do. Don’t join something or take a class just because your friends are in it. It’s not worth it. If you don’t want to take something you shouldn’t let anyone’s opinions change your mind. It goes the other way too. Don’t let someone tell you “it’ll be too much” or “you won’t be good at it.” So? Now’s the time to try new things, figure out what you want to do. It’s your first year in high school, you don’t need to know what you want to do yet. Don’t be afraid to try new things, join a new club, or even a sport. Take that class you were unsure about. So what if you don’t know anyone in it? Make new friends. Don’t be stuck in a constant cycle of familiarity. Don’t let people keep you in that cycle. Go with your gut and be where you want to be. If it’s a class you’re worried about, just think about it. Is this class going to be beneficial to what I want to do in the long run? If it isn’t, take a different class! You don’t need to be in every single AP or honors class just to make yourself look good. There’s just as good students in regular classes as there are in honors. The best statement I’ve ever heard was from my 7th grade math teacher. She told me that she had never taken any kind of advanced math class and yet she’s still a math teacher. You don’t need to take the hardest classes if you don’t want to. Make a choice that YOU want, not one that your parents or your teachers are deciding for you. These are your years as you prepare for college. Make it worth it. Be yourself. Have fun.

-Hailey Reome