High school is one of those experiences where you learn to get to know yourself through screwing everything up. When I first came to Lakeridge I reflected on my middle school career and made a list of things I wanted to accomplish in the next four years. 1. Make a group of awesome friends, 2. Build a strong moral compass, 3. Learn to be okay with being awkward and,  4. Be the best person I can be. The issue was, when I was a freshman, I was so scared to just be weird and put myself out there. I avoided making friendships with peers and teachers, I dodged leading opportunities, and I never joined a club. Somewhere along the way though, I met so many cool people that pushed me out of that comfort zone. If being embarrassing was a competition I’d be an olympian now but that awkwardness is what allowed me to do all the fun nostalgic stuff I could have ever wanted. I think my biggest piece of advice to the kids I’ll leave behind is, just be nice to people. You never know what someone’s going through, you never know what doors kindness can open, and you never know how much one positive comment can affect someone’s entire day. I’m not saying that you have to do what I did to have a great high school experience, but over the four years you might spend here at Lakeridge, you’ll learn that nothing is as deep as it seems. So join that club, go to those dances, talk to that girl or boy, and make Lakeridge high school a place to remember.