Twenty things I learned in High School (Class of 2020)

For those who don’t know, I am graduating this year! I am the graduating class of 2020 and I am more than thrilled to begin my new journey. In honor of my graduation, I have decided to talk about twenty things I learned during my journey through high school. As many of us know and have experienced, high school can be a very hard and confusing time. This is the time when we all started figuring out who we were in hopes of figuring it all out by the end of the four years.

I have learned so much about the world around me and about myself, throughout these four years. So buckle down, because I am ready to share. Number one, I learned how to embrace my natural hair texture and it made me more confident. I realized that always trying to change the way I look was putting a damper on my self confidence, and accepting my waves was a small step toward more confidence. It is important embrace every aspect of your natural self, even your hair.

Number two, I do not like change, but I need to learn to welcome it. Every time a big change happens in my life, I. get nervous and upset about it. But eventually, I love the change after I get used to it, and I am grateful for the growth that the change brought to my life.

Number three, journaling and planners help me to feel less flustered and anxious. I can get overwhelmed easily, and it is hard for my to not put pressure on myself to always be productive. But, I have found that writing lists of everything helps me. I write down everything; to-do's, blog ideas, what I need from the store, new things I want to try, anything and everything. I also use a daily planner to track due dates and appointments.

Number four, it is okay to not be 100% productive every day. Some days, self care is more important than being productive. I learned to take care of myself above anything else.

Number five, I learned to just got for it. I wanted to start a blog and write about everything that I am passionate about, so I did! Now, I am not afraid to say how I feel and I know that even when I don't have everyone's support and understanding, that's okay, and eventually, those who care about me will come around to my dreams and ideas.

Number six, not everyone is always going to agree with your views, ideas, and dreams, and that is okay. We are all different people and we all see the world differently. Embrace listening to opposing ideas and views, you light learn something new.

Number seven, always fully lean into what you are passionate about. I am passionate about self care, nutrition, and health, so I am majoring in public healthcare and health promotion.

Number eight, always wear sunscreen on your face and neck. You'll thank me later.

Number nine, my favorite way to workout is yoga. Specifically, hot yoga. I have never really been a gym person, so I was very excited when I found yoga. I love the spiritual side of yoga and the sense of calmness that comes over me after a class.

Number ten, I love to wear natural looking makeup. I experimented a lot with makeup in high school, from a full face to a bare face. But, I found that I love to look as natural as possible, this also helps me to feel more confident without makeup, which I love!

Number eleven, only surround yourself with people who encourage and care about you. You do not need to have a bunch of friends who don't make you feel good about yourself, you only need people who bring you up and always support you.

Number twelve, your grades and test scores do not define you. I struggled with not putting myself down when I got lower SAT scores and GPA's than my friends. But, at the end of the day, these numbers do not define who you are.

Number thirteen, I am grateful that I stuck with Spanish and continued to learn and speak it. I was hesitant on continuing with Spanish class into junior year. But, after I began working, my Spanish came in handy and I began speaking it more and learning more.

Number fourteen, always get involved. I was part of two life changing clubs in high school. I grew so much as in individual because if these clubs, and I will always recommend getting involved and fully indulging yourself in whatever you are a part of.

Number fifteen, just stay organized. When I am organized, am way more likely to get work done. Organization motivates me and helps me stay on track.

Number sixteen, try to accept people for who they are. You do not have to be friends with everyone you encounter in your life, but it is important to be civil and accepting of everyone. Life is too short to continuously judge everyone.

Number seventeen, don't judge yourself. You are not always going to look or be like the people around you, and that's OKAY. You are your own person, on your own journey, don't be so hard on yourself. This is a lesson that took me forever to learn, and I am still trying to fully accept myself and my body.

Number eighteen, just buy some bamboo. This is my way of saying, don't overthink. I had wanted bamboo for a long time, I did all kinds of research on it and it took me forever to buy. It's ridiculous because it's just a plant, but I overthink everything. So, don't overthink, just do it.

Number nineteen, everyone should work in customer service at some point in their life. I got my first job as a hostess and I was forced to learn a lot of things. I came out of my shell, I got more comfortable talking to people, and I learned how to handle difficult people.

Number twenty, always stay true to who you are. At the end of the day, this is your life. Don't let other people influence the way you live it. Just be yourself, accept others, and buy some bamboo.