A once great humanitarian and civic leader, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt had said, "In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. The choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility." This is a quote I stand and live by.
From the time we were old enough to walk, and to the time we move out, our parents will teach us everything we need to know for our future. Some of us were taught how to cook, others learned the trade their mothers' and fathers' used to put their own lives together. Whether we realize it or not, no one is going to be there to guide you through life hand in hand. There is not going to be someone there to coach you and help you the choices that are and are not to be made. Once you graduate high school and move out of your parents' house, you are on your own. There is not going to be anyone there to show you how to live your life. Life gets much harder, and no one but yourself is going to make it easier.
I, being one of many, know that the transition from Mark Twain Elementary to Carson Middle School was a big step forward. We all met new friends as sixth graders and we still have a lot of them today. Our school days seemed to go by faster and we were moving around instead of being in one classroom for six hours per day. Now, that I am at the top of the food chain yet again, I realize that the past three years have been great. I also see that I will right back at the bottom again next year. High school is going to open many doors for me and everyone who is moving on. It opens gates for sports and activities like football and soccer, Junior ROTC and the color guard. Everything we do and join in the next four years is going to set us up for what we want to be or do upon graduation. For some, college opportunities will open up. For those like me, military options will most likely open first. I know just by way of common sense that some will crack under the many pressures that are soon to come. I hope all that crack, glue themselves back together and get back on the right track.
We are always learning and adapting. We never stop learning, and we never stop gathering information and how we look at life. No one is going to decide what is best for you, except the person in the mirror.
• Justin Potter, 14, wrote this for his eighth grade English class.
