We weren’t the ones who spent our Friday nights at the football games and our Saturday nights drinking around bonfires. We were the ones who always struggled to be seen in the yearbook because it was just the same 10 people on every page celebrating spirit week, in a school we felt invisible in. We were the kids who spent our nights in a book or looking on Facebook at all the kids who were getting drunk and having the time of their lives. We were the ones who were self-conscious when the popular kids would look at us.

Even five minutes later, if they said one thing, we were so sure it was about us. Or when we would have swim days, we always felt uncomfortable because these girls were so much prettier than us, had better bodies, or a sexier swimsuit. We had some days where we didn’t wear makeup and rocked out in a sweatshirt, and then we’d see this gorgeous girl in a dress and high heels making every single guy drool and we’d hide.

We walked in the halls while these golden-faced, perfect aliens glided passed us, smelling of Chanel and cinnamon. And for a lot of us, that’s how high school went. We got good grades, made some friends who have lasted past graduation, and participated in some clubs that actually interested us. We didn’t cheer on the sidelines every time our team had a touchdown or work on the school dances, because it was going to be the same cheap streamers it was every year. We liked to spend our nights with good people, eating pizza, maybe having a drink or two, and laughing at the people who thought high school was the end all be all of life. We had great times in high school but, the difference between us and the popular kids is that what we did after was still just as fun, if not more. Because after those good times, we found more.

After high school, we found people just like us. It doesn’t come from just being in college, it can be anywhere. We came to school and joined clubs and study groups full of people who think like us and share common interests. We went to jobs with people our own age just trying to be less of a burden on our parents and grow up a little, in this world. We also brought along those friends from high school who never left, because no amount of drama or fighting could stop us. We also left all that negativity behind. We are just starting our peak. We’re not just lost in our old high school football team or isolating ourselves until our friends all come home for a break. We went out and we discovered that we weren’t the same anymore.

We found out we were feminists, leaders of change in an ever-changing world. We came out to friends and peers who took us in with open arms and made us see beauty in the world. We got tattoos and piercings that emphasized our individuality because we were no longer scared to say, “This is me and I am damn proud of it!” We went right into the workforce, because school wasn’t our thing and we knew were destined for this. We went into the military, because we love our country and are damn fit to protect it no matter what anyone says; we would gladly put our lives on the line for anyone who dares to set foot on American soil with terroristic intentions.

We found ourselves in music, dance, and art and whatever else our nerdy hearts desired, because when we left high school we knew that we were going to take this world by storm. We knew that all the looks, all the little snide comments that came with them and the little bit of pain that came with them would eventually subside and we would be standing, bruised and stronger than anything anyone can throw at us. We weren’t the stars of our high school, and when we go back in 20 years, they might not remember us... But they will definitely notice us this time.

To any high schooler reading this, take it from someone who has been there. High school seems like the end of the world. It may seem like what you do in those four years will ultimately determine whether you make it or break it in this world. And yeah, you might resort to some really stupid stuff because it seems like the only option, but you have to keep going. Two years ago, I thought my life was going to result in nothing. Now I’m with an amazing person, at an amazing college tracking my way to law school. Things can and will change with you. No picture in the yearbook or senior poll you win is going to make you someone. Your hard work and determination will be your own future. Don’t try and be popular, try and be better than the person you were yesterday.