What Defines a High Schooler?
As a high schooler in 2023, I cannot define the modern high school experience, as everyone has been different. The one thing that I find to be true for all high schoolers is that being in high school in 2023 means constant adaptation and welcoming change into your life. As a senior in high school who started freshman year in the middle of a global pandemic, I can truly say that high school has taught me more than I ever expected it would. The adaptation that both teachers and students had to go through was something that in the moment I took for granted, but looking back I am so thankful for.
Instead of a first day of high school filled with new friends and classes, this new chapter in so many lives began on a computer screen isolated from those we knew. This was a change that impacted so many and continues to impact us today. I often ponder what all of our lives could have been, and mourn the missed time with people, but despite all of the pain it brought, it also brought so much love and joy. The modern high schooler learned to never take any moment for granted and to always utilize the time we have; a lesson only learned from experience.
Modern high schoolers are able to quickly adapt to change, and mold themselves to fit into any learning environment. Modern high schoolers have so much compassion and love for their classmates and the world. I truly do believe that the modern high schooler has more resilience and strength than ever before. Covid drove so many apart, but it brought the community of high schoolers together. High schoolers feel a bond in knowing that their classmates went through COVID-19 and so may change with them.
Our bonds are stronger, and we truly appreciate each other for the moments missed and the moments to come. In a world that is constantly changing, there is no option for us but to change along with it. The “high school experience” is not something that can be defined in a dictionary, but instead is found in the hearts of the students. The range of high school experiences in 2023 is so vast, but I find a common thread in that we learned not only to adapt to change but to thrive in it, and are more resilient because of it.
Me and my friends at senior sunrise.
I really like your last paragraph as it was insightful to me; describing the adaptation necessary to be a high schooler summarizes your essay nicely. I’m curious if you think that your experience of change also applies to the underclassmen who went through online school at a different time of their life? It is often mentioned that ‘love and joy’ were both outcomes and a part of the change, but no one example really jumped out; perhaps you could emphasize an example.
I think the essay does a great job of coming full circle and concluding with a satisfying ending by referencing the common thread shared by high schoolers. What are some specific details that highlight the impact of COVID on the high school experience? One way to polish the essay might be to use examples.
I think the author did a really good job of putting a positive spin on the repercussions of the pandemic, and how isolation taught us as people to be resilient. What was the hardest adjustment? Perhaps the author could add a more in-depth description of a prominent event that they are grateful for.