I’ve been tricked.

As children we were told to explore interests and try new things. There were no consequences for doing as many things as possible all at once. We could mess up and no one would care, because we were all led to believe that doing something new was always an option.

No one expected me to hit a home run every time I came up to bat in Little League, because even if I couldn’t make it to the MLB, there was always something else for me to try.

But as I filled out my college applications at the beginning of this school year, I realized that as high school students we now have so many more consequences.

Colleges seem to frown upon the student who does every single activity available because it shows a lack of true dedication and leadership. But I see something else.

I see exploration. I see creativity. I see a student who is not afraid to stray from the norm, to meet new people, to simply try new things.

While I love Glenbrook North and everyone and everything in it, the one thing I can say I am not fond of is how its environment encourages students to stay on a set path. I can go through almost every student in the senior class and say where he or she “belongs.”

I know that as I walk down the hallway I will be able to point out the debater, the actress and the basketball player in a second.

As high school students, we do benefit from staying involved in a sport or club for multiple years, but there comes a time when we need to branch off, do new things, and stray away from these paths that seem to be laid out for us the minute we step in as freshmen.

I think I am going to learn more by doing many different activities that provide new challenges and distinct opportunities than by doing the same few activities year after year.

The most memorable moments in your life are those from when you first try something new. I clearly remember the first time I picked up a tennis racket, the first time I played an actual song on the guitar, the first time I asked a girl to a dance.

What troubles me most is that these memories are from so long ago. I want to leave GBN knowing that in the future I can look back at my high school years and actually have memories. I love GBN, and I have loved almost every minute of high school, but nothing seemed to stand out for me as I entered my senior year.

And so this year I made a pact, a promise to myself that I would branch out and do something I had never done before. I joined the Homecoming committee. I got to plan out the decorations for the assembly, and I have to say it was an exciting and stressful experience, but one I will definitely cherish for a long time because I overcame problems I had never seen before.

As I go on to college and beyond, I want to thank GBN for its one fault. Without being being cursed to a destined path for my entire high school career, I would have never realized the importance of doing new things.

Although it’s strange to admit, I guess in the end I am thankful for how I’ve been tricked all these years.