By Macaiah Foster

I believe staying true to yourself is one of the most important things in life. At times, high school feels like a race that is impossible to win. Being popular often means you have to be good at sports, keep up with clothing trends, and be friends with certain people, which might require you to be fake instead of genuinely friendly. Popularity is overrated. I have spent some time trying to understand why young people care so much about what their peers think. It seems that many are willing to completely trade the value of their true self for the validation of others. While I can’t say for sure why young people chase popularity, I can say that I have discovered things that are far more valuable than being popular.

During my time as a young woman in high school I have been called some very hurtful things and have fallen victim to letting others’ opinions hold me back. I let these mean things people said about me tear me down because I thought that is what everyone thought of me. Despite all of this, as I look to graduation I am grateful for the experience because only by working through these difficult moments could I discover what is on the other side of the hurt. I discovered what it means to be authentically me.

Ironically, when I am being my authentic self I have received true validation from peers. I have discovered there are so many people that love me for who I am. Because of the negative experiences in my past I have been able to approach others with compassion. I have discovered the importance of listening. I am able to face my fears as I run the 100 hurdles for the Sidney Track Team because I know the only person who gets to have an opinion about my performance is me. The other voices don’t get a say anymore. One of my favorite discoveries as I journeyed toward my authentic self is my love for art. If I could, I would paint all day everyday. I used to hide this part of myself because I didn’t know anyone else who enjoyed painting as much as I did. I worried that people would think I was weird. However, once I painted for myself, I got a lot of positive feedback. People were impressed. Once I stopped needing validation from my peers, validation started showing up in so many ways.

I graduate in just a few weeks and have been thinking about how much I have grown over the last four years. If I could go back and give advice to my freshman self I would tell her that most people care more about themselves than others. But you don’t have to be that way. I would remind her that other people’s opinions should never ever count more than her own. I would encourage her to live the next four years the way she wants to because in the end, no one else’s voice will bring her more satisfaction than the one she hears when she talks to herself. I would tell her to get out of her own head and go for it. To any student about to enter high school I would say: In the end it’s your story and you are the only one in control of it. It is not the homecoming queen or the football quarterback who gets to write your story – It’s you. Pick up a pen and start writing.

Macaiah Foster is a senior at Sidney High School. She is the daughter of Amanda Foster. Next year she will attend the University of Cincinnati. She is looking forward to meeting new people and creating a new life for herself. This summer she plans to spoil her dog, Vinnie, who can’t go to UC with her.