The year is winding to a close and for some, including myself, our high school careers are ending as well. Regardless of what grade level you’re in, though, the next year probably promises to be different: tougher, more rigorous, bringing a new set of challenges that you don’t think you’re prepared to face. That part never changes, but I think that’s the part of youth that makes it so endlessly exhilarating. The moment you know exactly what to expect in the coming weeks, months, or years is the moment you lose that little spark of excitement to face the upcoming mysteries.

The mystery for me this year, in a way, was Wingspan and this column. I had never been a part of this organization before, but I’d always admired it from afar, whether it was the daily update we watched everyday or the podcasts and columns that often posed more thought-provoking questions than most major news outlets.

I had always treated writing as a hobby, and I had never envisioned myself actually taking it seriously. I surprised myself when I asked my friend Neha if I could write for Wingspan as a freelancer my senior year. I didn’t know why I was asking to take on so much responsibility when I would be so busy.

I couldn’t imagine what I could possibly have to say that would live up to Wingspan’s reputation. Even as I started writing, I had to seek help from Mr. Higgins, my English teachers, and my friends, constantly asking them “Does this sound okay? Or does it sound completely stupid?” At the beginning, every tiny mistake I made felt like the final reason that I would have to quit writing altogether, stop pretending to be a serious writer.

It sounds cheesy, but sticking through the rough patches and continuing to work on Wingspan was quite possibly one of the best decisions I’ve made in high school. I could never have imagined that my writing could eventually take me to UIL regionals, win me a state award, and get me published in the Dallas Morning News. As I may have said before, these victories fulfilled dreams that I didn’t even know I had.

I have no qualifications whatsoever to be dispensing life advice of any merit, but as you know if you’ve read my columns, that has never stopped me before. So in my last weekly post to “A Little Wisdom,” allow me to encourage anyone who reads this to try something new in the upcoming year. Perhaps it’s picking up a sport you’ve never given much thought to before, or maybe it’s joining a club that you’ve always wanted to join but didn’t think you could. The worst evil we do to ourselves is to admonish our lack of talent when we haven’t given ourselves the chance to develop those talents.

My young readers, put yourself out there: you already have enough uncertainty in your life, so this isn’t really going to make that much of a difference. And my older readers, put yourself out there to; a little mystery goes a long way.

Thank you for your support. Until the next time!