Senior Farewell: Determination – and a job at Kennywood – helped with my anxiety

For as long as I can remember, I have had really bad social anxiety, and the thought of meeting new people was really hard for me. As time passed, this anxiety grew worse rather than better. 

By the time I entered high school, I was an anxious wreck a majority of my day. 

High school was always a point in my life I had dreaded, because I knew this was where my actions would begin to truly matter. I quickly developed a fear of failing in any way, whether it be my academics or extracurricular activities.

Throughout my freshman year, I rarely hung out with people outside of school and had a limited social life. When the pandemic began, I felt that it would be good for me since I would not have to speak to people in person.

Once again, I was wrong. Being in quarantine only made things worse for me. I still had to speak on Zoom calls, and being online made it harder for me to do well in school. 

My sophomore year was by far the hardest point in my life thus far. I started taking AP classes for the first time, and the challenging curriculum led to me spending all of my time working at my dining room table on homework. 

During this time, I continued to struggle immensely with talking to new people. Every conversation I had was a challenge and I began to lose hope in getting better. 

By the end of the year, I decided that I wanted to do better for myself and my mental health. 

Therefore, I ventured out of my comfort zone and got a summer job at Kennywood. I operated the rides in Kiddieland, which meant I constantly had to be interacting with kids and parents.

Although this situation was not ideal for me, it ultimately helped me to deal with social situations. I found that if I could deal with parents yelling at me all day long, I could do anything.

My junior year was my most challenging year academically, but it was the first time I saw improvement within myself. I still found myself devoting hours of my night doing homework. However, I began talking to new people and hanging out with my friends. This gave me hope that I could get the better of my anxiety in all facets of my life. 

When I reached senior year, I felt confident that I could make it my most successful year yet. I began to place less pressure on myself and felt more comfortable in social situations than I had at any other time in my life. 

I began these four years unsure and constantly anxious, but through determination I have become confident in myself and my ability to overcome any challenge placed upon me.