Being a teenager in 2024 is synonymous with wearing a thousand different hats. I am a researcher, a writer, a teacher, a teammate, a worker. But, before all of that, I am a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a friend. Despite the set of priorities an increasingly work driven society pushes at me and people my age, I don’t let school or work run my life. However, I find that being my own person and then a student, or employee, or teacher, often go hand in hand. 

I am very lucky to have parents who understand how stressful being a student in 2024 can be, especially one getting ready to submit college applications, make a decision, graduate highschool, move East for the third summer in a row, and begin college, all within less than a year. Along with these school-related-but-not-grades-related responsibilities, I have to keep my grades up to stay in honor societies, plan meetings as the President of French Club, and work a part time job to have money to pay for my car. From November till March, my schedule is even more jam-packed from hockey. It’s like being a juggler, adding a new ball every time I catch the next one- never staying with just three or four. 

My parents are my rock; my mom is everything I aspire to be and my dad supports me and my brother fully in any endeavor our minds can conjure up. My brother has been my biggest cheerleader, but also my biggest critic, for my whole life. We are only 16 months apart, so competition in all things- sports, school, clubs, work- has been the only thing we’ve known. But, he is always there for me, especially when I need help with math. Keeping the most important thing in my life—my family—at the center of everything reminds me of what I hold most dear. Being a student in 2024 would be a lot harder without them, their support, and their advice.