High School has a reputation for being the best 4 years of our lives, and a lot goes on during these years that will affect our future lives. The biggest thing for students is finding out who they truly are–especially in their Junior and Senior years, they are often trying to decide what they want to do with their lives. High school also has been known to encourage conformity, and in some ways discourage uniqueness, so how can you figure out what your identity is in Green Level?

Mr. McAuliffe, a School Counselor at Green Level, said, “In high school, we use this time to figure out who we are and what our values are, and when you figure that out you begin to find the people you want to surround yourself with.” Many high school students’ identities are based upon the people around them. Many students conform to their surroundings. High school is a time during which many students base their identity on their friends and the people around them. McAuliffe said that students should know that, “Identity is something that we determine ourselves. Sometimes we let other people put our identity on us, but I think that it is important that we determine who we are, and we don’t let labels and other people tell us who we are.”

If high school plays such a big and (and potentially negative) role in shaping our identities, what can we do about it? How can you discover who you truly are at Green Level? One way is to join one of the School Counselors’ groups. In these groups, you can discuss issues in your life, or just learn about self-care. On the Green Level website, Student Services, just like our school as a whole, states that, “Green Level High School Student Services is dedicated to cultivating an equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive environment that promotes self-discovery and fosters the realization of every student’s potential.”

Many people believe that “fitting in” is their most important task.. Karah Fegeley, in our Student Services Department, says otherwise: “I would take advantage of all the clubs that are offered because high school is a time to really find your identity and what you’re interested in.” Discovering your identity in high school can be a struggle, but with Green Level’s amazing resources like these clubs, we can really discover who we are and what we are passionate about. “Take advantage of that. During connectivity try all those different clubs to find your fit and what your passions are,” says Fegely. 

While high school can make discovering our identity a challenge, Green Level has phenomenal resources such as clubs and groups that make discovering our passions convenient and simple. Students should take advantage of our schools resources to help with this. Finding your identity in high school might be hard, but we can do it!