The Keys To Success

Hello, class of 2022. This high school experience we have had has not been the picture-perfect adventure that you might have hoped for, but that is okay. Sometimes we have to push through and do things we hate, like countless hours of membean that we all pile up for the end of the semester. Can I just say that I did 2,000 membean minutes this year? Just this year, that does not count for my other three years of high school. To put this into perspective for you 2,000 minutes is over 33 hours, which is two and a half days of doing straight membean. Will I ever get those days back, no, will I get to complain and laugh about it with my friends forever, yes. That is what high school is all about. Making memories and friends that you will have for the rest of your life to resonate with and look back on. 

People often ask me, “Kayleigh, how do you do it? You look like you have your whole life together” that is usually when I awkwardly laugh because that’s all I know how to do. The real answer is that my life is far from put together. I appreciate people thinking it is because that means I could have a career in acting. But, if you want my secret, optimism. Our whole lives we are told, “there is light at the end of the tunnel”. I am not going to tell you that because it is too cliche, but this is what I am going to tell you: accidentally fail your math test, re-take it, forget to bring a pencil, borrow one, have a really bad morning and find out it is your impromptu speech day in academic decathlon and all of your prompts suck, don’t worry, it will be over in two minutes. Okay, that last one was a little personal but seriously, impromptu speeches are the worst. Anyways, my point is that most of the time people stress over things that have an easy fix and will not matter tomorrow. I am definitely guilty of this myself but I have enough optimism that if something inconvenient happens I just say, “Hey, it’s okay this won’t even matter in a year” and then I usually go eat chocolate or something. The chocolate eating is a must or else you might as well throw the whole process out the window. 

Has anyone here heard of the word “rudderless” before? Yeah me neither. A few weeks ago I was given my rough draft back on a research paper I was working on and I was reading the comments that the teacher had left. Keep in mind that I did not even know that the word rudderless existed, so when I read it I had to ask multiple people if that was the word I was reading. After getting a few confirmations that that was the right word, I looked up what it meant. This is the definition of rudderless: lacking a clear sense of one’s aims or principles. Ouch. That is typically not what someone wants to hear their essay be called. Apparently, I was missing something called a thesis statement in my essay, I guess I needed one of those to give my essay “direction”. Personally, I thought the essay title “Are Phobias Purposeful in Today’s Society” gave enough information on what it would be about, but I guess not. When I confronted my English teacher I just looked at them and said “rudderless”. They thought it was funny but I was not laughing. It also didn’t help that as I was trying to explain myself, the person who is supposed to be my best friend agreed with the teacher. What kind of friend sides with the teacher, not mine that’s who. After fixing my essay and adding a thesis statement I can confirm it was better. I think I might struggle with constructive criticism a little bit but I plan to work on that because I realize how valuable it is. Criticism is a part of life that nobody is going to be able to escape, so the earlier we learn to accept it and embrace it, the better we become as people. 

When I was a little eighth-grader, I remember telling myself that I was going to pack my high school schedule full and take all the hardest classes I could because my dream was to go to an Ivy League school and I thought that was the only way. Oh, I could not have been more wrong. Who was going to teach me about this little thing called networking when I was 15 and looking at every single credit I needed to get into Harvard Medical school. For those of you that don’t know, networking is the greatest tool for a successful life. Think about it, all you need is a little common sense and a rich friend to get you through life. Okay, not really, but it wouldn’t hurt. I stand here today as a senior going off to Bates College next year. When you google search Bates it tells you that the acceptance rate is 12% and it is one of the best liberal arts colleges in the nation. It also tells you that you need to have a 3.88 GPA or better and have taken several AP or IB classes to be accepted. I’m graduating high school with one AP class under my belt and I didn’t even pass the test. To be fair I did have to take the test when covid first started and I will use that excuse for the rest of my life. Anyways, people might think those hard classes are the ticket to a good school like I did, but I am here to tell you that it is not, and I am living proof. Instead of putting energy into those classes, try signing up for an interview with the head of admissions at your dream school. Go visit the school, tour it, and stay after to talk to some of the professors. The best way to see success is by getting your name out there so people know who you are. That way, when they are reviewing your application, instead of going to look at how many ap tests you passed they will remember the time you took time out of your day to go meet them and have a personable conversation. Before even submitting my application to Bates I had already had an interview with an admissions counselor, toured the college, had a recommendation letter written from someone who works there and an alum, and sat in on a seminar about the school. Plus, after the seminar, I emailed the person from admissions who came to talk to us and thanked them for taking the time to talk to us. Some might call me a try-hard, and I most definitely am, but I would say it has worked in my favor so far. I do not think I would be in this same situation right now if it was not for the amazing people I met along the way that helped me. I had to step out of my comfort zone and ask for help but I do not have one ounce of regret. We as people can only do so much by ourselves. Networking makes life superior for everyone.

I want to leave everyone with three important things as I end up my speech. Number one: if something goes wrong, always try to stay positive. That attitude will get you very far and just remember, there is always chocolate waiting to be eaten. Number two: learn to embrace criticism rather than reject it. Mr. Zuis has been telling me since freshman year “failure is the first step to success” and I have learned that he is right. But, no matter what you do, never forget a thesis statement in your essay unless you want a reality check. And for number three: get your name out in the world and meet new people. The more people you know the more opportunities you make for yourself. 

Thank you class of 2022 for an amazing high school experience. Now go on and embrace every adventure the future has to offer.

“Graduation Caps” by Captain Skyhawk is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.