Dear almost ex-peers, 

This is my last time ever writing for The Sidekick. 

After three years of being on this staff, I can gratefully say I have had experiences in this program that I will never forget. That combined with four years of being a high school student, I have learned a lot of lessons that will help me in college, the workplace and anything else I choose to pursue in life.

But the biggest lesson I learned is one I wish I knew when starting freshman year.

You can do it all, but you really don’t have to.

I have witnessed so many of my peers have it all: good mental health, excellent GPA, a bucketload of extracurriculars and a thriving social life, all with a solid night’s rest. If you put your mind to it, you can have all three vertices of the high school triangle.

However, you can still be happy without achieving everything possible in high school. I learned to find happiness in the things that I did choose to put my time into, and though I might have missed out on being valedictorian or president of NHS, I can still say that I had a successful high school experience. I got into college, became friends with people I will never ever forget, discovered what I am passionate about and what I am not. 

I know that not everyone gets the opportunity to publish their advice on a platform like this and for that, I am very grateful. Use me as an example to know that you really do not have to be the Malala of CHS in order to be successful. Yes, working hard and figuring yourself out is really important, but there are ways to do that without spreading yourself too thin. High school is not a bucket list where you need to check things off every time you do something. It is a period of time where you learn about yourself and the world around you. 

But that’s not all.

As Elizabeth Gilbert said, “follow your curiosity, not your passion.” Passion is like mood swings; one day it will be through the roof and the next day, it will be as visible as air. Instead, ask yourself what you want to learn, and you will see that you will go so much farther. I joined The Sidekick because I was curious about what it was to be a journalist, and look at me now, reminiscing in the very thing that really shaped my identity. 

If you don’t want to follow any of this, don’t. Really, just do whatever you want to. Take risks now when you have less to lose. Mess up, and learn. Fall and get back up, stronger than you were before. You may not realize it at the moment, but there is beauty in making mistakes. There is wisdom in the unknown. Just trust that you will be OK and follow your heart. As I part ways with CHS and move on to the big milestone that is college, I know that I don’t know a lot of things. I know that I will mess up.

But I know that I will be OK.

And I know that you will be too. 

Sincerely,

Sreeja Mudumby 

Follow Sreeja (@sreejamudumby) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.