By Emelyne Hirschi, Class of 2028
This article is a part of a series of student stories of growth curated for the 2025 One Event. If you enjoy this story, please donate and tell us which student’s story inspired you to give.
It’s normal to feel scared and excited when a new chapter of your life starts. And that’s exactly how I felt about starting high school. I couldn’t go back to being at my old school where I was comfortable and I couldn’t fast forward in time so that I could know what I was doing. Something I could do though was think about how I wanted to approach starting something new. I wanted to make new connections with other people and be challenged academically. So even though I had little idea of what I was doing, I had these goals to guide me.
When we were choosing our learning experiences, I put myself out there by signing up for ones that I liked even though I didn’t know anyone else in them. I think that’s a big theme of my time at One Stone so far: putting myself out there. And it’s not just applicable to high school. It’s important to do it any time you’re in a new place and anywhere you don’t know anybody. It’s hard but it can be very rewarding when you find people you enjoy being around and when you figure something out.
Once school had started there were things that happened and people I met that helped me know more of what I was doing. Nora and Andy were super helpful when it came to having somebody to ask questions and showing me the ropes. For starters, I was on a team with them when we did a cardboard boat regatta during the first week to practice collaboration and build connections. One of the things they did in that week was help me get used to the rhythm of One Stone. Nora was really helpful (even if she didn't know) with knowing what was going on. And Andy was helpful with where to find things and how they worked. They also helped me grow in collaboration; they were a good example of a teammate and showed me how to work well with others. If I had a question, they would help figure it out. And I still talk to them and have a connection with them. On our school-wide trip to Paradise Point at the beginning of the year, I was scared beforehand. But during and especially after, I felt proud of myself. Being around people I didn't know but who are supportive, caring, and encouraging did help me feel less shy. It gave me an added boost because I felt accepted and happy with where I was at. I think there’s always a period of getting used to new things but having people there that want to help you and want to know you does make it less stressful and hard.
And now there are times when I run into people and they look so happy to see me and say my name so happily. It gives me such a warm feeling because there’s something about thinking that someone is cool and then they think you’re cool too! It gives me a boost and it definitely reminds me that I want to show my happiness about seeing someone to give them that warm feeling. It also reminds me that it’s worth it to take risks because you can meet new people and learn so much.
