Kennedy Singleton

Hi everyone, my name is Kennedy Singleton, I'm a senior at Troy High, and my senior year is not at all going the way I expected it to. Nonetheless, I am excited to be wrapping up this chapter of my life and opening a new one in college. So as I sit here in reflection of the past four years of high school, I would like to draw upon the three most important lessons that I've learned so far.

1) Do whatever you can to get it done. Like most people in my generation, I tend to be a procrastinator. I like to save assignments to the last minute, no matter how much time I had to work on it. But the one most important thing that I've learned is that your number one priority should be getting it done. Doesn't matter if it's due in 5 minutes or yesterday, do whatever you can to get that assignment finished asap. Even if you're not able to complete it all or turn it in late, teachers will appreciate the effort that you tried instead of just leaving it as a missing assignment.

2) Quality over quantity. This can apply to a multitude of situations, but I've mostly found it helpful in the extra-curricular aspect of things. It doesn't matter if you do 20 clubs (although you shouldn't because that's a whole other time management issue), or 5. What matters is if you can show substantial leadership positions and involvement in a select few. This will look better on college applications and save you a ton of stress as a freshman and sophomore.

3) Remember that you're still in high school. This lesson has taken me the longest to learn and fully accept, but you have to remember that you're still a teenager. No matter how many stresses and issues in life that you may have going on, recognize that this is only a fraction of your life that you most likely won't even remember well 50 years from now. You don't have to have it all together or planned out or be perfect, and no one is expecting you too. That pressure you feel from your fellow classmates is temporary, you most likely will never see these people again. So don't be so caught up in everything and try to enjoy the moment because you'll never get an opportunity like this again.

So there you have it, my top three rules to surviving high school. Hopefully this can help at least one scared freshman out there. Oh one last thing; as much as you think you hate going to school everyday, you'll be sad when it ends, trust me.