Isabelle Kozubowski

I wish I could say that high school has been the best four years of my life, actually, scratch that. I’m really glad high school hasn’t been my best four years yet. High school has been so transformative for me, I’m definitely not the same girl that walked into the commons on her first day, and I’m so proud of myself for working hard to grow and mature while here at Wakefield. My sophomore year was my first year at Wakefield, and my first year at a public school. I had a few friends that I knew from my neighborhood or from my old school, but I was coming in with barely anyone to cling to. I started to adjust and finally got into a rhythm, which was crucial for me. Throughout my junior year I was riddled with anxiety and mental breakdowns were common for me. It was one of the hardest years of my life, but I am so grateful for my amazing friends and family that helped me to take care of myself and look past the false promises of perfection. Over time I made some pretty incredible friends, and lost a few along the way, but I am so grateful for the experiences I’ve had in high school, the good ones and the bad ones. While high school hasn’t been the best for me every single day, I am filled with gratitude for the experiences and people who have molded me into the college freshman (still sounds so weird to say that!) that I am today. I know that I would not be the same person that I am today without my amazing friends and for the entire Howler staff. If you take anything from this, I hope that you find something that you love and stick with it, it will help center and ground you through the hard parts of these four years and lift you up even further through your best moments. Being the Opinions Editor this year on staff has been so enlightening and rewarding and I am so excited to continue my journalism career at the University of North Carolina at Asheville!