By Tony Le
SYLP student
Change. It happens to all of us. Whether it be a change in hairstyle or a change in character, everyone changes. Change will not always be a good thing, nor will it always be bad.
Sometimes, it may be so slow and subtle that it will occur without you noticing.
For me, it was the day I talked to an old friend and realized how much life has changed.
Entering my junior year, I was a simple, fun-loving high school student ready to take on what I thought could be the most difficult year yet. What was in store for my friends and I was unknown. We all blindly took our first steps into a world where there would be more responsibilities, more stress, and greater conflicts.
And so it began, the year of insurmountable work. There would be nights when I had to stay up until the break of dawn finishing up an AP assignment due the next day. School was no longer something I could put second and still achieve good grades. My priorities had to be shifted, meaning that I would have to dedicate my time outside the classrooms to homework. I would have to study, rather than hang out with my close friends.
Months flew by, and my junior year was nearing its end. A sense of relief struck me after the infamous AP tests in May. When the weight of school was lifted off my shoulders, I could finally focus once again on the people I cared for. When I came back to my friends though, it was apparent that not everything was the same anymore. There had been apparent changes in friends and changes that I had not noticed until then. I was unprepared for this.
Now, how did I handle these changes? Honestly, I didn’t fare well at first. A cloud of cynicism shadowed the once carefree person I was. Why should I have to try to solve these problems if they were inevitable? Rather, I chose to refrain myself from others and give myself time to refresh and possibly start anew. This decision occurred only a week before the Summer Youth Leadership Program.
With SYLP, I was given an opportunity to start anew. In a new environment, it was indeed another big change.
However, this time, I took this change to my advantage, adapting to a new place with new people. By the first week, I had already felt a sense of familiarity of simpler times. By the second week, I had regained trust in myself.
As a part of life, change cannot be avoided. These is no telling how different today will be from yesterday, how much it will be tomorrow from today, and how drastic it may be tomorrow from yesterday. However, it is in your hands to decide how to approach the change. In the end, your approach determines the outcome of the change. ♦
Editor’s note: The ideas here do not necessarily represent Northwest Asian Weekly’s stance.