Shuban Tiwari

It still hasn’t hit yet. I’m sure it will eventually, but for the time being, I still feel like a freshman. A kid who’s just trying to have fun while figuring out how the world works. I’m sure the pandemic has something to do with that, and that’s okay. I made it out, and I’m alive–that’s what matters.

For anyone reading this, I only have one thing to say to you: live. I don’t mean that lightly. I mean go out, go have fun with your friends, go live in the fresh air, and go experience things.

High school is transformative. The knowledge you’ll gain, the ways you’ll learn to think, and the maturity you’ll gain are nothing like you’ve ever experienced. But still, I think the biggest takeaway from high school wasn’t what I learned, but what I felt. Don’t be afraid to feel. Accept and grow with your emotions. Pain is just as valuable an emotion as is pleasure.

Learn something in high school, but also, don’t be afraid to feel.