Last Friday I turned in the final assignment of my junior year, a 1500 word essay about the Glass-Steagall act of 1933. 

When I started class last August in my bedroom on Zoom, I had never written an essay of more than 700 words. I had never conducted extensive research, I hadn’t ever gone on an interview, never done a lot of the things I do on a regular basis now. 

I found myself going back through my journal from the beginning of this school year, and it shocked me to realize how much I had changed, and how much I had truly grown. I knew I wasn’t the same person I was last fall, but I didn’t realize how impacting the changes truly were. 

I didn’t realize how much I had managed to accomplish, and how much I had grown as a student, a writer, a debater, and a student journalist. I looked back on all the projects, papers, articles I had written and completed, all of these things I accomplished that were once hypotheticals in my knock-off Moleskine diary.  

If you’re a rising junior, nervous about starting this next notorious year in your academic career, all I can say is push yourself to do the things you’re passionate about, but don’t overextend yourself to the point of burnout. Doing your best does not mean you have to be up until 3 am every single night. You’re allowed to put your mental health first and don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself- email/talk to your teachers about assignments you’re having trouble with and work with them to find a solution. 

I’m not going to sugar coat anything and tell you it’s not as bad as people say- because it really can be. I might be biased because I did also have the unique experience of going through 11th grade in the midst of a pandemic, but at the end of the day everyone has different experiences and maybe your year won’t be that tough, or maybe it will, and that’s okay too. 

Junior year is tough- but if you’re intentional about the choices you make and the classes you take, it can also be incredibly rewarding and beneficial.