A lot of people hated high school.

Thankfully, I wasn't one of them.

Up until two minutes ago, as I was perusing past friends' Facebook photo albums (like the total, Stage-IV creeper that I really am) I couldn't explain why I loved high school. Now, I think I can.

For most, getting up in the morning and trudging to high school was, at best, a chore, but for me, the chore was getting out of bed... the "going to school" piece was never something that I didn't want to do. I liked going to see my friends... I liked being in a familiar building where I knew the rules and knew my limits... I liked learning.

Unlike most, I think I was put in a position to grow up faster than most. Some of it was my parents and their teachings, some of it was the friends group that I chose, and some of it was an innate thirst to always be something better. High school gave me, at a comfortable level, the ability to take on more and test the same limits that I thought I knew.

In 9th grade, I was placed in the Honors English class that I thought was, at its highest, a joke. I figured that I had signed up for a fancy sounding class and would get the same teachings out of it. In all honesty, I probably was shorted the basics that I should've learned in 9th grade, but I came out of that class with a better understanding of how life really is.

In life, you're allowed to stop the "scheduled programming" and explore a tangential thought that may not lead to an objective on state demanded curriculum. You can take a bathroom break when you really have to pee. You can bring pop and chew gum wherever you're going. You're allowed to go two minutes over the bell if it means you get something extra out of your time with others.

I skipped 9th grade algebra and went right into pre-calculus. It really screwed me in college... Ask any of my math geek friends. To this day, if you asked me to explain to you the law of cosines, I probably still couldn't. But that's okay. What I did learn was how to fill in the gaps when I didn't have enough information. I learned how to search for knowledge. I learned how to Google. I learned how to learn and that, my friends, was an amazing experience.

I was able to join the marching band and, after being complacent with my placement as a clarinet player, I was given the opportunity to audition for drum major. I was sent to Central Michigan University's Drum Major camp in 2004 and 2005, and asked to go to the more prestigious Bands of America (now Music for All) camp in 2006. It was a natural craving to become a camp counselor after graduation at that same camp and to share my experiences with those who had the same drive that I did. I made lifelong friends in that short week that will never be replaced.

As I grew up and entered into college, it became a living high school for me.

I took some classes with the teachers everyone loathed. Why? Because I wanted to see what people didn't like -- what qualities made people so unhappy. I wanted to know who I shouldn't become after I left campus.

I bent some rules, and I broke a few, too. I forged bonds with administration. I knew everyone who walked on that campus. I remember scaring off a creepy townie guy one night. I walked up to him and said, "Can I help you?" He replied, "I'm looking for my friend in Newberry." I said, "No, you're not. You don't go here, and you don't belong here. Leave or I will call the police." He ran away. Alma is just one of those places where, if you put in a modest effort, you can make some huge changes.

I showed up early to school. I stayed late. I set off the alarms once or twice. I had more keys than I was supposed to. I wandered around places I probably should not have ventured. I made some mistakes. All of that mattered, and all of that taught me a very important lesson: with great trust comes great privilege, and with great privilege comes great responsibility.

Great responsibility is required to make changes. Who do you see as trustworthy? Your parents? They have a great responsibility. Your friends? They do, too. How do they make changes? People trust them. People trust that they'll use their responsibility and privileges to guide the world in the right way.

At 21 years old, I just bought a condo. I have no clue what life has for me next, but I sure as hell hope it's just like highschool. Bathroom breaks and all.

Time to leave this desk. I'm tired.


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