There are certain times when I sometimes like to think back on life and all the things that led up to a particular point in my life. Occasionally that means reflecting on high school and all the teenage angst and drama that inevitably occur when putting together over 1000 hormonal adolescents together in one building.
It’s really best not to dwell too much on the negatives. Instead of thinking about the boy you had a crush on who didn’t even know you existed, or the mean girls who bullied you because (although you didn’t realize it at the time) they were threatened by your far superior intellect that would see you grow into your own sense of self-worth. All the things you–I mean, a certain friend of yours went through during those tortuous years.
As traumatic as it might have seemed back then, I can’t deny that high school had some impact on my life. It was part of all the things that brought me to the point where I am today.
Photo credit: beX out loud from Flickr
I think I was a bit of a paradox back then. I was the shy, introverted, socially awkward, bookworm. On the other hand, I was best known by classmates for playwriting, acting, and likely my odd sense of style. My high school was pretty academic with advanced courses in not just maths and sciences but in art also. If we had a football team and cheerleaders nobody talked about them.
No, we were the school with the gifted kids who played in orchestra or band, went to math competitions, and produced the occasional stage play. In my last year I even attempted to start a school paper. That failure manifested itself years later when I was determined to redeem myself to, well, myself and start a small local literary magazine in Halifax.
I haven’t really kept in touch with many of my high school friends. I realize that seems beyond the pale here in Nova Scotia where I’m fairly certain the term BFF was invented and held to in a literal sense. Sometimes I get a note on Facebook from an old friend from those days but usually it’s just to touch base, see what’s changed since the last ten years we spoke and then nothing for another decade (I’m assuming).
Well, my long and winding point is that in the past few years I’ve watched some high school classmates succeed in their chosen careers, not by keeping in touch but more publicly. My graduating class produced a couple TV personalities. For those of you who are house-poor and therefore live vicariously through HGTV, you might find of interest that Pure Design is hosted by Samantha Pynn, former class valedictorian. She was the genuinely nice popular girl (they exist!) in school. And if you ever catch the news on CNN you might recognize Monita Rajpal who used to do the morning announcements over the PA system. These were two people who I suspected would find success but it’s still a bit surreal to see their faces on TV from time to time.
I’m not really sure where this blog post is going.
Anyway, then there’s me, typing behind my virtual wall, working in new media, managing a small literary magazine on the side and leading a happy little life. I thought I would have been published by now, true, but I’m still working on that part.
What about you? Are you where you thought you’d be when you graduated from high school? Has anyone you graduated with gone on to become a celebrity or done something spectacular with their lives?
Kimberly Walsh is a social media and online community manager. You can follow her on Twitter @AliasGrace.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I was such a follower in high school. Where the lemmings ran, so did I. Mod Robes and baseball tees? Sure, provided that’s what everyone else is wearing! Pep rallies… and being “cool” enough to ditch school whenever they happened? Just tell me where to meet in the parking lot to head to the beach! Jumping off a cliff? Don’t mind if I do!
Sadly, I honestly think I peaked in 2002. The world was my oyster and I couldn’t wait to move to New York City. Now it’s seven years later and I’m working contracts in Halifax, a far cry from the big smoke, even to my Prince Edward Island mentality. Most of the people I graduated with have gotten married and had babies, and my thoughts on procreation keep me out of that camp. Most of my friends are in the same boat as me (if they’re lucky! This recession is killing us!) and sadly, no one has gotten to marry the Backstreet Boy of their choice.
Maybe there’s still time? A.J. McLean, call me.
Racquel: I think most people were followers in high school, even when they thought they weren’t. It’s all part of the ritual of finding ourselves. As for your Backstreet Boy ambitions, well, good luck with that..!
I had a somewhat similar experience in high school. I was VERY shy and hating doing presentations in front of the class, or even answering teachers’ questions (as it involved talking aloud), but for some reason got involved in drama classes and did a few stage shows that involved SINGING before an audience. Bizarre.
I dressed in a way that I now think of as hilarious, but back then I figured I was being different and fun by wearing lots of men’s button-up shirts and extremely baggy pants, complemented by too-much-eyeliner-omg.
Never would I have EVER imagined myself getting through PR alive and actually enjoying it. I am proud of how far I’ve come in an industry that requires you to expose yourself to so many different people on behalf of your organization, seeing as it still rattles my nerves. Go me!
As for famous classmates… Matt Mays went to my high school, as did Sidney Crosby (*I think*) for a brief moment. Go Cole Harbour.
Lauren: It’s so odd thinking back to those days of LOVING performances but HATING “public speaking”. I think the difference is that as an actor you’re someone else whereas standing in front of your peers to present something as “you” is more real in a way. I’m still not a fan of public speaking but am glad the PR program pushed me to at least feel I was capable of overcoming nerves and dealing with presentations and hard-hitting questions in a professional manner.