Two of the most influential ideas I have learned from my research are the difficulties trans people trans face in their everyday lives and how messed up our society is. I have always tried to understand the complexity and challenges that transgenders go through. It is so heartbreaking especially when I looked at the number of mental health illnesses a lot of them have, causing them to be suicidal. And the worst part about that is it is mainly caused because of the way our society is and how people can not seem to accept others.
It is extremely disheartening to read so much about how not only other people’s opinions are mattering but also just seeing how messed up some people are who can’t seem to really mind their own business. I hope people will learn and maybe understand the transgender communities struggles, but also how others play a role in it. Every little thing that we say, do, post, etc, continues to make it more challenging for transgenders to open up and just feel accepted. Most of us already know some of the struggles that they face, but they do not really understand. And I am not saying that I do, but throughout this whole research project, I have learned so much, and it has just made me become more open-minded. So overall, I just want people to learn about the struggles everyone goes through and just become more open-minded as well.
My major takeaway is to not deny myself an experience because it seems challenging or overwhelming. I walked into the senior year not even thinking we were going to have one. I am so incredibly grateful that we got the opportunity to do all the senior festivities and be with my closest friends one last time. I wanted this year to be different. I have always been closed off to opportunities and wanted a change. This year, not only by joining the senior board but also the Dawg pound, I have received so many opportunities to stand outside of my comfort zone. I have had many speaking opportunities, running activities, and so many other things. I just felt like with covid I lost so many chances, so this year I wanted to take initiative and become more involved.
The advice I would give to a future NNHS senior is obviously not to take advantage of it, but to make the most of it. You only get one high school senior year, and not only did it literally go by so fast, but half the time we were in masks and were still limited to things. Next year is a whole different year, and there is going to be so much more to do. You never realize that it is your last of something before it happens. Like currently, this is our last Monday of high school. No more waking up at 6 am from an exhausting weekend. But then there is the last football game, performance, DVC win or State win, then boom, now we graduate.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x5Hvf39KlCv77OtWyfKcVbsTvczmvUyo/view?usp=sharing