BY Yoonjeong Yang ‘24
Time has flown by so fast, and along the way, we have built memories that will remain deep in our hearts. Although the pandemic has made school life starkly different from what we had looked forward to, St. Mark’s has done its best to provide freshmen with unique and exhilarating experiences. As it is the time for students to remove the freshman label, students need to reflect on their freshman year, reflecting on what it meant and how they grew to prepare for the sophomore year. I would like to share my journey at St.Marks and how the community has influenced my identity in the hopes of inspiring incoming third-formers.
I experienced a significant change after moving to St.Marks. At the start of the year, I was apprehensive about how people would judge me due to the racism I experienced when I was younger. The memories of those experiences still haunt me. While I initially struggled to adapt to a new culture and social milieu, it was a pleasant surprise that people at St.Marks were sensitive and receptive. I strove to reach out to people with different backgrounds and diverse student groups, expressing my true self while listening to other people’s stories. My goal was to extend my empathy and compassion. Through these meaningful experiences, I was able to form deep and lasting friendships at St.Mark’s that will persist long after high school. Here is the lesson of my story: no matter how tumultuous my inner conflicts are, when we surround ourselves with non-judgemental, supportive people and maintain a willingness to learn from others, we will eventually reach the ultimate destination of self-acceptance and self-appreciation.
School life was not as easy as I thought it would be. There isn't a specific word that can accurately describe my freshman year because there is simply too much to express with just one word. The year was filled with regrets, failures, and mistakes, but it was also about growth, success, and maturity in retrospect. I did not have a dream or a plan, and I was the student who simply envied others. However, I began to try new things, things I never would have thought of trying. I started by joining new clubs like St. Marker, Students for Sustainability, Women in Stem, Model United Nations, and Academic Peer Tutors. Consequently, I expanded my boundaries and began to challenge myself every day to try unfamiliar pursuits, despite my fear of failure. Dreams of the future no longer held a significant meaning for me because I realized that I was too young to care too much about what we would be. If someone asks me what I want to be in a year or few years, I would simply reply that I want to be my best friends’ laughter, parents’ warmth, and my own haven. And I came to this realization during my year as a freshman.
If there is one piece of advice I would like to give to incoming third-formers, I would tell them not to hesitate. We should continue to step out of our comfort zones by reaching out to people of different backgrounds and exploring new things in our community. These are the principles I learned during the past year. I’m sure all the other freshmen can relate: the year has been full of regret and excitement. Although this academic year has been highly unusual with the pandemic, we should remember that freshman year was about finding ourselves. If we can remember this, we will be one step closer to a successful sophomore year. As freshman year was about understanding myself, I hope to accomplish during the sophomore year to inspire and motivate the people in our community and listen to the colorful stories of others. We should all be grateful for our pandemic-shortened yet precious freshman year and cherish these memories forever.
