Embrace yourself

“Are you wearing Birkenstocks with Smartwool socks?” a snarky upperclassman girl asked me in third hour World History. Red in the face, I admitted to the eighth sin: diverging from what was East’s idea of fashion sense my freshman fall.

Three years later, I sport this iconic combination proudly. Not only because this trend-setting style has merged with what has become mainstream, but because I have become increasingly comfortable with myself as I have found my niche.

High school is a time for growth — academically, socially and mentally. I’ve been lucky to have had influential summers away from East where I realized my passion for telling other people’s stories, but the culmination of my experiences has occurred within these poorly-lit halls. This is where I have found people who share my affinity for over-analyzing “Lost” episodes, obsessing over obscure facts found in our psychology textbook and laughing over the repetitive usage of the same “modismo” throughout two semesters of Señora’s AP class.

In Lab 212, where my minimal InDesign capabilities are praised, I have been able to work alongside a team of amazing young journalists who create a more impressive product every month.

Every golf season, academic course and extracurricular passion has shaped me and helped me embrace myself over the past four years.