Some people peak in high school, and it's the greatest four years they'll ever experience. Their biggest stressors are figuring out what they're going to wear to this week's Hawaiian themed football game and making sure prom night runs smoothly. And that is seriously great! I envy those people because that was not me.

High school was not my thing. I never really enjoyed it or appreciated it until senior year. I spent the first three years of my high school days as an anxious, lazy student who didn't participate in anything unless I was going to receive extra credit or free food. I checked out early a lot to skip tests, slept during class and never ever did my homework until the moment before it was due. It wasn't until my senior year that I realized what a special time high school is.

I put myself out there and made more friends my senior year than I have in my 18 years of life. I went to basketball games and football games and baseball games, events I previously would have never thought twice about, and I had the greatest time feeling like I was a part of a community that was so much bigger than me. I even competed in Beauty and Beau, which if you know me, you know that is completely out of character and a far stretch out of my comfort zone. But I did it because I could. I finally began to seize the opportunities in front of me that I used to always walk right past.

And now, as I am less than 30 days away from transitioning into college (SMTTT!) and starting a completely new chapter, I can't help but sometimes wish I had lived out my high school years differently. I try not to ever regret anything I do. That being said, I don't regret the past four years of my life, but there will always be days when I wonder "What if I had known this," or "What if I had done that?"

So for anyone who's doing high school like I did or even completely differently, my elite team of distinguished buddies of the class of 2016 and I are here to help. I know there are an unnecessary plethora of "What I Learned In High School" and "Advice For Upcoming Seniors" lists and articles out there, but this one is coming from an accumulation of people who all had completely different high school experiences yet still made it out alive. The thing about high school is that while you're all in the same building every day, everyone is having their own completely different adventure. This article isn't just me voicing my opinions; it's advice from the different voices you walk the halls with every day- the class presidents, the dance team girls, the most school spirited, the shy bookworms, and the one who's just there because he has to be. These experiences formed who we're going to be after high school, and we are here today to share these with you, so you can hopefully learn and grow from us.

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Lia Yeh, Saint Andrew's Episcopal School

1. "I wish people had told me freshman year matters, especially when trying to build up GPA and laying a foundation for the next four years of high school."

2. "Skip school if you need to. Sometimes you just need a break."

3. "Get involved in school for literally anything you're interested in."

4. "Don't be afraid to confront people you have issues with."

5. "Just do what you want and don't let others influence what you think."

Loren Burkett, Choctawhatchee High School

"I wish I would have hung out more with people my age. And I wish I would have lived in the moment more, rather than just wanting high school to be over with."

Amye McDonald, Madison Central High School

1. "Find your true friends and don't worry about who makes you seem 'cooler' or 'more popular.' When it comes down to it, the only cool thing is having friends who love you for who you are you and who make you a better person. The friends who won't talk about you, leave you out, or judge you but who will cry with you, laugh with you and accept your weirdness."

2. "Sometimes your heart will hurt. You will feel ugly, fat and/or unloved. You might feel like no boy will ever like you, or no one wants to be your best friend. I promise those days will pass, and you will realize just how special you are. High school really can suck sometimes, but the good days can greatly outnumber the bad, if you let them. And when you really feel alone or tired of the drama, open up your Bible. There's nothing more comforting than reading about God's promises to love and protect His beautiful people, including you."

Jacob Thomas, Northwest Rankin High School

1. "Turn up, but don't drink and drive."

2. "Get around and experience exciting stuff!"

3. "Get involved with every club."

4. "Take ACT very seriously! Take lots of ACT classes!"

5. "Get a job; it's the best way to learn responsibility."

Emma Wiygul, Madison Central High School

"Be prepared to lose some of your friends along the way. It's just going to happen."

Chandler Molpus, Madison Central High School

1. "Get involved as much as you possibly can. You don't want to regret anything."

2. "I'd say that challenging yourself is very important. Even though you might hate yourself at the time, it is a good thing. It's better to learn from 'failure' in high school where it's not so important."

Alexis Palmer, Saint Andrew's Episcopal School

1. "Family nights are just as important as nights spent out of the house. Some of my favorite times were spent at home on the weekends with my family just chilling and spending time with them. And even though I got major FOMO at the end of my high school career, I looked back and realized that sometimes going out just wasn't worth it and I needed to sit down and rest sometimes after a hard, busy week."

2. "Don't be afraid to ask for help. Whether it be from a fellow student, a teacher, or a parent, the people who surround you can sometimes be your best outlet for advice or help in school. They see or have seen things from a different perspective and can offer something that you, yourself, might not have thought about. This could be a different way of understanding a concept or just having experience with a problem you're going through."

3. "Not having a date to a dance is not the end of the world!! I went to quite a few dances with just a group of my friends and I have to say, for the most part, those were the ones where the most fun was had! Sometimes my friends would complain about having an awkward date, but I would have the time of my life just goofing and dancing around with my friends."

Clinton Wheeler, Oak Grove High School

"I really struggled with being what other people wanted me to be if that makes sense. I had two groups of friends in high school, one that I loved to be with and one that I felt like I needed to be with to maintain my status of being in that popular group. I hated it because I felt like the group I loved were like my true friends, but I felt like I would be judged if I hung out with them. The other group I didn't like to hang out with made me feel like I wasn't good enough. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I wish somebody would've told me earlier that God created me perfectly, anything I've done and everything I will do God will still think I'm perfect. So don't afraid to be that person you want to be, that person you were made to be. God thinks you are perfect so why do you have to impress anyone else? Be your beautiful self."

Claire Crutcher, Madison Central High School

"Don't worry so much about what people think about you, because honestly, people aren't thinking all that much about you. Mostly people are thinking about themselves. Just do your thing and don't worry so much about what you'll be perceived as for doing it. You only need your own approval, and the faster you learn this the easier high school will be."

And as for me, I would have to say don't waste any day that you can help not wasting. Wake up early and drink some good coffee and get to school in time to catch up with your friends before the bell and make sure they're doing OK. Get your work done on time so you can play hard. But, don't make yourself miserable. If your boyfriend breaks up with you, it's OK to take an afternoon off and eat some oatmeal in your pajamas and cry while you watch Family Feud. If you have another homework assignment, but you're so tired that your sanity is on the line, choose sleep. Stand up for what's right when you hear someone speaking wrongfully or degradingly. Thank the people around you who helped you get to where you are. Tell your teachers that you appreciate them. And finally, make as many friends as you can. Stay in touch. High school won't last forever, but real friendships do!