Leave Your Print

Leave Your Print. This was our theme of the year and I think it really portrays this year for the theme. 2022-2023 was definitely not the easiest year. When I hear this I have a bunch of things I could say that represent me leaving my print, but I can only choose one. In all my years of high school I’ve always been reminded of one thing every single time and that was making friends with everyone no matter what group you’re in. 

This year me leaving my print behind was staying true to myself. I made but also lost friends. I learned I didn’t need to please everyone in my life or make sure they all liked me even if that meant changing. Deep down I know that I am the way I am and I love it. This year I was caught up with making sure people liked me even if that meant changing how I acted for a little until suddenly I got a wake up call that not everyone will like me and that’s ok. I never needed to change for anyone and I didn’t need to please anyone to fit in because I’ve always had friends that love me for me. 

Throughout the year one of my friends came crying to me about how all the girls she thought were her friends started bullying her because she wasn’t acting or dressing like them. At that moment I immediately thought about being me 3 months ago but where I am today. I told her that it doesn’t matter whether they like you or not, it’s their fault for not liking you for being the amazing person you’ve grown to be. They can’t see that because they’re jealous and they try to be like everyone else. She never stopped crying until I told her she is perfect just the way she is and if her so-called friends couldn’t see that then that was their big loss. 

At that moment I only thought about how that was me 3 months before and that if I didn’t get the wake up call from my mom I would have been in some different kind of head space and probably wouldn’t be me. These exact moments reflect on what leaving my print behind means. I love this theme because everyone has something they can leave behind even when they don’t know that they did, they did. As I said before, leaving your print behind can be something that carries on in other people’s lives. From kids to teenagers to adults to grandparents we all have something that we left behind that leave our print.

In conclusion, leaving your print behind is important. This small quote makes the biggest difference especially in high school. Teenagers now may act too cool or don’t know what to leave for their print. But sometimes you already left your print without knowing on someone and that’ll affect their lives and help them to leave their print behind.