High school goes by fast.

It seems like yesterday I walked into the huge rotunda with about six of my close friends, clinging to my backpack for dear life. Now I’m about to be gathered with people I’ve known my whole life for the last time before we go our separate ways.

I tried to think of one word of advice I would have but there’s way too much so here’s what I got.

Don’t get caught up in the stupid petty drama. It’s almost inevitable in high school, but avoid it. Don’t cry about it because even a year down the road you’ll forget about it. Life is far too short to remember all the stupid things people have done to you.

Go out on school nights. Do your homework still, but don’t let it bind you to your bed. Find a way to balance getting decent grades and having fun because these could be some of the best days of your life, and there’s no reason to let it go to waste. Don’t be afraid to stay up a little later than ten o’clock just because you have a quiz, worksheet, test the next morning. I guarantee by the time you’re graduating, you’re not gonna remember the minor b, c, d or f you got. You will, however, remember the time spent with your friends.

Appreciate your teachers. Most of them are great people and you really can learn so much just by talking to them. Oddly enough they know what they’re talking about. Having a good relationship with your teachers adds so much to the school day. We’re really lucky to have some of the teachers we have, and some of my favorite conversations from school have been with teachers.

Don’t care about what other people think. People spend way too much time worrying about other people, they can’t be happy. You’re not going to please everybody. Most likely, you won’t be able to please a lot of people. Who cares. Just don’t deliberately piss people off and just do what makes you happy.

If you don’t agree with someone, leave it at that. If they aren’t hurting or affecting you, there’s no reason for you to try and change who they are. You’re not going to change them. Only experience and something that happens to them will change them. So don’t get pissed about it, let it go.