‘School is what you make of it’ is something I always thought was a trick said by counselors and teachers to make sure you slack off less in class. Now, in my senior year, I see that while it may have been a trick, it also rings true.
I used to live in Kansas and I moved here during sophomore year. During my sophomore year, I barely talked to anyone and did not participate in any school activities or clubs because I actively resented the idea of having to make new friends or fit into a new school. I believed that others would be antagonistic toward me if I tried to reach out.
That sophomore summer was very lonely. A summer of being alone motivated me to try to reach out, even if I feared the consequences. So, in my junior year, that’s what I did. I went to the club fair, found a bunch of random clubs and joined them. I won’t lie and say that I joined these clubs and everything magically got better. Half of the clubs I joined I stayed quiet and hoped someone would reach out to me but no one did and I ended up leaving those clubs.
It wasn’t until my fourth club that I decided to be the one to initiate conversations and to put myself out there. That was when people started talking to me and began to actively reach out to me. I realized that I was the one who was causing my own loneliness through a negative feedback loop.
What I’m getting at is please, even if it’s uncomfortable, put yourself out there. Join clubs and communities that you are interested or even you’re not interested in. I promise you, even if it takes 10 clubs, you will find a place you belong or, at the very least, find one person who will make your life less lonely because school really is what you make of it.
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