The student news site of New Trier High School

New Trier News

The student news site of New Trier High School

New Trier News

The student news site of New Trier High School

New Trier News

The journey may not be smooth, but it can still be fulfilling

If you asked me as a freshman what I thought my high school experience would be like, I would have said that it was going to be hard work but that it would overall go smoothly.

I didn’t expect any bumps in the road and I really thought I was going to leave New Trier the same person I was when I started high school.

Boy, was I wrong.

So many things have changed, and for the better, may I add. People told me that the friends you enter high school with will be completely different than the ones you leave with.

I didn’t believe this for a second. My friends and I are so close, how could that ever change?

I wouldn’t say that my friends have completely changed over the years, but I have gained so many new relationships.

I don’t like admitting that I had somewhat of a closed-mind freshman year, but I definitely did. I stayed close to the people I knew, and veered from the people I didn’t.

In a way, this was the only way I knew how to get through freshman year. Sticking to the people I knew was the most comfortable for me.

High school is supposed to be a time to branch out of your junior high group, but I really didn’t put this into action until sophomore year.

As a freshman, I thought that choosing the right classes and levels for me would be the hardest decisions I would have to make throughout high school. How inaccurate was my thinking process, right?

I played on the field hockey team freshman and sophomore year, but I really believed that I would continue with it for my full four years at this school. I loved it. I felt so content when I would run onto the grass fields behind New Trier with my fiber stick in hand. I’ll admit, I wasn’t the best on the team, but I did have a passion for the game. I never thought that this sport would play a role in one of the biggest decisions I’ve had to make while here at New Trier.

This decision was a little bigger than just class scheduling. After playing for junior varsity my sophomore year, I knew that I did not have a good chance of making the varsity team.

There were only six open spots and I definitely was not the strongest of the pool of players trying out. I had to decide whether I should spend my summer training and focusing solely on field hockey or giving it up and try new things.

I ended up deciding that I wanted to see if there was anything else at this school that I would enjoy as much as field hockey, but maybe this time I could excel at it.

To this day, I still regret my decision. What could have been if I tried out my junior year?

That’s another part of high school: regret. Regret is not something anybody enjoys feeling, but it plays a role in helping us grow. I’m not saying that as a freshman I thought my high school experience would have been completely perfect, but I really didn’t expect to have strong feelings of regret. I am glad I did though, because I’ve learned how to deal with tougher situations.

High school was way different than I expected freshman year, but I’d say it’s been a great four years.

 

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