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There's no doubt about it, growing up is scary. Growing up means that I have to shed the protective shell of my childhood and emerge as a full-fledged, self-reliant, and independent human being that can make meaningful contributions to society. Unfortunately for me, I feel nowhere close to that. Having just turned 18 on May 22nd, I haven't even the slightest smidgen of an idea how to lead a more independent life. And that's what I'm deathly afraid of. I'm afraid that after high school, I'll be so lost in the whirlwind of life that I'll never be able to recover. What if I become so overwhelmed in college by the tsumani of people, work, and knowledge that I simply shut down? What if I never really figure out how to pay my taxes or buy a house or fall in love and settle down? What if I grow up, but deep down inside, I don't ever actually grow up? My greatest fear is that I won't be able to step up to the plate and prove my worth as a capable adult. I'm sure this fear isn't unique to me, because millions of other teenagers are going through the exact same crisis. There's nothing I can really do to completely shed this great fear of mine, but I can rest assured knowing that I have people who have my back and who can catch me if I fall.

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My musical taste is extremely fickle and constantly shifting. My favorite song today will most certainly not be my favorite song tomorrow or next week. But as of right now, as I write this, "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa is the song that's sticking the most with me. It was meant as a tribute to the late actor Paul Walker, but I think I can also relate to its message during this transitional period of my life. The chorus and verses are sorrowful and nostalgic, and talk about catching up with an old friend at some point later in this life, or perhaps the next. As I leave high school and get ready to transition into adulthood, I know that I'll probably never see or speak with many of my friends ever again. It's impossible to maintain so many meaningful connections. But I take comfort in the fact that I can continue to try. I can hope that I'll see my friends again. And when I do, there'll be so much to talk about.

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"Lord of the Flies" and How It Impacted Me

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"Lord of the Flies" and How It Impacted Me

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Out of all the literature I read in high school, the one that impacted me the most by far was "Lord of the Flies." It was an enlightening read that taught me about the downfalls of the human condition and the fragility of innocence, and it served as a sort of wake-up call to the harsh reality of the world. The novel spoke to me because I could relate with the characters; I, too, was a young boy when I read it, and it frightened me to think that if I were put in the same situation, I might also devolve into the same type of inhuman, frenzied animals as the boys in the book. The revelation that I wasn't going to be innocent forever has stayed with me all these years, which is why "Lord of the Flies" is the most impactful piece of literature I read in high school.

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Dear Son or Daughter,

Congratulations on making it past the first 14 years!  If your elementary and middle school experiences were anything like mine, then they were the stuff of legend: mythical tales of nail-biting handball games at recess, screaming because that new girl definitely has cooties only to develop a raging crush on her three years later, and jumping up and down at middle school dances because you don’t really know any other way to dance.  That’s all well and good, of course, but I have some bad news for you.  High school is a completely different kind of beast, and I’m here with some wise words to help smooth out the transition.

First and foremost, be involved.  In all honesty, you’re not going to remember that stuff about the Krebs cycle and the Civil War a few years from now, so spend your time wisely by getting involved in a bunch of school activities.  After all, that’s where the real lasting memories and friendships are made, so make the most of your high school experience!

Do not procrastinate.  This advice is given in vain because, from experience, I can 110% guarantee that you will procrastinate often, even if you promise yourself that you won’t.  In fact, maybe this advice should be “procrastinate less” because otherwise, I’m just preaching to the converted.  Have your fun, but make sure you get your work done too.

Stay on good terms with everyone.  Do you ever wonder how those popular people get so popular in the first place?  A good chunk of it is probably attractiveness, but the rest of it is general amiability.  If you treat other people well, you can probably expect the same in return, so make a habit of it.

And finally…avoid the cafeteria vegetables.  Enough said here.  The lunch ladies do a good job with everything else, though, so fear not!

That covers pretty much everything!  In short, have fun (but not too much) and get your work done.  Here’s one last nugget of wisdom as a parting gift: as my wise APUSH teacher often said, don’t do anything illegal, but if you do, don’t get caught.  Cheers!

Sincerely,

Your proud dad, Victor Yu

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Cyrano de Bergerac is an extremely relatable literary character in that he has a serious insecurity that holds him back from achieving his goals.  I think all of us can sympathize with him in some way or another; I, for one, possess multiple debilitating insecurities that weigh me down every single day.  The biggest of my insecurities is one that, to this day, I still have not completely conquered: my lack of confidence.

I can pinpoint the exact origins of my timidity.  I’ve been a very dedicated basketball player ever since I was little, but unfortunately for me, this dedication did not always equate to a staggering amount of prowess in the sport.  Even though I had a deep love for the sport from a young age, I often dreaded practices and games because they meant that I would be forced to continue fulfilling my less-than-satisfying role as one of the worst players on the team.  As a result of being a perpetual underdog, I developed a sort of inferiority complex that, to an extent, remains with me to this day, affecting practically everything I do.  When I meet new people, for instance, I am shy to an extreme because I feel like I don’t have the ability to make a good first impression.  I’m also afraid to try new activities because I’m afraid I won’t be very good at them.  Over the years, my lack of confidence has branched out and developed into a fear of failure as well as a need for approval.

In order to deal with the debilitating effects of my insecurity, I started forcing myself to embrace new, unfamiliar, and uncomfortable situations so that I could start to overcome my lack of confidence.  If I’m too shy to strike up a conversation with someone, I’ll force myself to do it.  If I’m too afraid that I won’t be any good at ice skating, I’ll force myself to totter onto the ice anyways.  It may not be the most elegant of solutions, but it has certainly done leaps and bounds to help me overcome my own large protuberance.

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Chickens: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

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John Oliver explains how chicken farming can be unfair, punishing, and inhumane. And not just for the chickens! Connect with Last Week Tonight online...

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My name is Victor Yu, and I'm currently an 18 year-old senior hailing from Lynbrook High School in San Jose, California. I will be attending Santa Clara University next year, and I plan to major in some type of undecided-as-of-yet engineering. My primary interest and hobby is basketball, and I hope to keep it in my life for years to come. Hopefully, someday, I'll be able to play professionally for some league, but that's a faraway dream. Besides basketball, I enjoy music (both listening to and playing), reading, and spending time with family and friends. I'm extremely excited to go off to college with a clean slate and meet tons of fantastic people with fantastic stories!

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"Listen, smile, agree, and then do whatever you were going to do anyway." - Robert Downey, Jr.

You can't listen to everything everyone says to you. Sure, there'll be people out there who have only good intentions or who want you to follow the rules, but you won't get anywhere by being a passive listener and follower. At some point, you have to put your foot down and trust your own judgment and instincts, because who knows what's best for you better than you?

"Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die today." - Anonymous

I've always found that setting a high bar for myself means that I end up achieving more than I would have with an "easier" goal. For me, goals represent a psychological hurdle that I always seem to fall just short of clearing, so why not aim a little higher while I'm at it? As the saying goes, you have to shoot for the moon because if you miss...well, you know how it is.

And of course, if I knew today was my last day to live, I'd want to go out with a bang and leave a memorable, lasting legacy. Having only a day to live also means that everything I do has to be as meaningful and important to me as possible. So of course, even though life isn't always the pulse-pounding, hair-raising, edge-of-your-seat excitement it's made out to be, I want to make every day I live full of meaningful actions and experiences that are worthy of my last.

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” - Ernest Hemingway

This one's a no-brainer. You can't go around judging your own self-worth by comparing yourself to other people; that's like comparing apples to oranges. You should only compare yourself to someone else very similar, and of course, that someone else is you. And if you find that you're a little better than you were before...well, I think there's something admirable and noble in that.

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10. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

9. Inception (2010)

8. The Avengers (2012)

7. The Usual Suspects (1995)

6. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

5. Tangled (2010)

4. Interstellar (2014)

3. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

2. Frozen (2013)

1. Whiplash (2014)