How to survive high school | Camille Cooley | TEDxWhitneyHigh
Summary
TLDRIn this motivational speech, a teenager shares her personal experiences and insights on surviving high school. She humorously reflects on how her expectations of high school were influenced by media like *High School Musical* but explains how real life is more challenging. She outlines three key steps to thrive: jump into new opportunities, get genuinely excited about your passions, and be yourself rather than conforming to societal norms. Through these steps, she emphasizes the importance of self-discovery, embracing mistakes, and defining oneself despite the pressures of high school life.
Takeaways
- 🎤 The speaker begins by setting up expectations about high school based on media portrayals like *High School Musical*, but acknowledges that reality differs.
- 🤯 High school is portrayed as a crucial time that shapes who you become in the future, filled with stress and expectations.
- 📚 The speaker suggests that rather than stressing about academic choices, students should focus on three major principles: Jump In, Get Crazy Excited, and Be Yourself.
- 🚀 'Jump In' means actively exploring interests and trying new things, even if they seem daunting or against others' advice.
- 🔥 'Get Crazy Excited' encourages students to embrace their passions and show enthusiasm, no matter how niche or unconventional the interests may be.
- 💪 'Be Yourself' emphasizes the importance of authenticity over conforming to societal norms or 'coolness' standards.
- 🎬 The speaker references TV shows like *90210* to illustrate how high school issues and experiences have evolved over the years, while some remain the same.
- 🙌 Embracing these three steps led the speaker to meaningful experiences, such as traveling, volunteering, and representing organizations.
- 🔎 The speaker reflects on how society often views teenagers negatively, but argues that adolescence is a time for dreaming, taking risks, and self-discovery.
- 💡 The overarching message is to not let fear dictate your actions or prevent you from pursuing what you love, as each person defines themselves and their future.
Q & A
What was the speaker's initial perception of high school?
-The speaker initially thought high school would be like *High School Musical*, filled with random dance routines, academic success, and a high school romance like Gabriella and Troy from the movie.
How did the speaker's experience in high school differ from their expectations?
-The speaker's high school experience was more challenging and stressful than expected. They didn't have a romantic relationship like they imagined, and they realized high school was about studying hard, dealing with stress, and preparing for college.
What are the three big ideas the speaker proposes for surviving high school?
-The speaker suggests three ideas for surviving high school: 1) Jump in and try new things, 2) Get crazy excited about things that interest you, 3) Don't be cool, be yourself.
Why does the speaker emphasize 'jumping in' as their first step?
-The speaker encourages 'jumping in' because trying new things allows students to discover their passions. It helps them explore different opportunities and figure out what they truly want to do, rather than being restricted by others' expectations.
What does the speaker mean by 'get crazy excited'?
-The speaker encourages people to embrace their enthusiasm for things they love, whether it's Slovakian literature, nonprofit work, or biomedical engineering. By being unapologetically passionate, they believe it will lead to personal growth and community involvement.
Why does the speaker advise against trying to be 'cool' in high school?
-The speaker advises against trying to be 'cool' because it limits self-expression. They believe it’s more important to be true to oneself rather than conforming to societal norms, as being authentic leads to greater self-discovery.
What personal experiences does the speaker share to support their points?
-The speaker shares personal experiences like becoming a published poet, volunteering in hospitals, and traveling the world—all of which they accomplished by following their three steps of jumping in, being excited, and being themselves.
How does the speaker feel about the portrayal of high school in media like *90210*?
-The speaker feels that shows like *90210* are predictable, cheesy, and not entirely realistic. However, they appreciate the show as a time capsule that addresses issues like diversity, sexuality, and academic pressures, which are relevant to today's teenagers.
What does the speaker say about societal expectations for teenagers today?
-The speaker mentions that teenagers today are expected to be passionate, optimistic, and hardworking. However, they acknowledge that it's often overwhelming to meet these expectations, and sometimes it's okay to struggle with them.
What does the speaker believe is the most important takeaway from their high school experience?
-The speaker believes that high school does not define them, but instead, they define themselves. They see high school as just a stepping stone in their journey of self-discovery and growth.
Outlines
🎤 High School Expectations vs Reality
The speaker reflects on her childhood expectations of high school, imagining it would be similar to the movie 'High School Musical' with spontaneous dancing and romance. However, the reality turned out differently as she faced the stress and challenges of high school, including hard work and striving to get into a good college. She explains that despite not fulfilling her early fantasies, the four years of high school were crucial in shaping her future. The speaker introduces the theme of her talk—three key steps to surviving high school—while acknowledging that her personal experiences may not make her an expert.
📺 The Influence of Teen Shows and Real-Life High School
Using the TV show '90210' as a comparison, the speaker highlights how high school life, both in reality and on screen, has evolved over time. The issues faced by the characters in '90210'—such as dealing with sexuality, grades, college applications, and diversity—mirror those of modern teenagers. She notes that despite societal expectations to be passionate and successful in every aspect, teenagers often struggle with the pressure. The speaker emphasizes the importance of adapting and finding one's own way through these challenges.
💡 Jump In: The First Step to Surviving High School
The speaker introduces the first of her three survival strategies for high school: 'Jump in.' She encourages teens to explore their interests, try new things, and take action without hesitation. By experimenting with different activities, whether it's writing a book, learning a new language, or traveling, students can discover their true passions. The speaker shares a personal anecdote about her parents advising her to focus solely on academics, but she chose to follow her own path, leading to fulfilling experiences like becoming a published poet and traveling the world.
🎉 Get Crazy Excited: The Second Step
In the second step, the speaker urges her audience to embrace their enthusiasm and excitement about things they love, no matter how unconventional or niche their interests might be. She stresses that genuine excitement fuels motivation and encourages learning. Whether it's about an obscure topic like Slovakian literature or a career path in biomedical engineering, getting unashamedly enthusiastic helps teens find their community and personal growth. The speaker emphasizes the importance of diving into one's passions and not being afraid to show excitement.
😎 Don't Be Cool, Be Yourself: The Third Step
The third step is about embracing individuality. The speaker explains that trying to conform to societal standards of 'cool' often limits self-expression. She uses examples like fashion choices and popular trends to illustrate how many teenagers restrict themselves to fit in. However, the speaker argues that the most important thing is to be true to oneself, even if it means going against what others deem cool. She reflects on how embracing her uniqueness allowed her to achieve things she never thought possible, reinforcing the idea that being authentic leads to personal fulfillment.
🌟 High School and Self-Definition
In this concluding section, the speaker reflects on her high school journey and the broader teenage experience. She discusses how societal perceptions often view teenagers as troublemakers, but she believes that adolescence is a time for dreaming, making mistakes, and learning from them. By embracing risks and ignoring fears, teens can define their own futures. The speaker reiterates her three steps—jumping in, getting excited, and being true to oneself—as the foundation for personal growth and success, closing with an empowering message that individuals define themselves, not high school or society.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡High School
💡Jump in
💡Get crazy excited
💡Be yourself
💡Expectations vs. Reality
💡Passions
💡Self-discovery
💡Fear
💡Teenagers as Dreamers
💡Mistakes
Highlights
The speaker initially thought high school would be like High School Musical, with random dance routines and easy success.
High school was much harder than expected, filled with stress and competition to get into good colleges.
The speaker introduces three key ideas for surviving high school: Jump in, Get excited, and Be yourself.
Jump in: The speaker encourages trying everything, exploring passions, and discovering new interests without fear of failure.
Personal story: The speaker didn't listen to their parents' advice to focus solely on studying and became a published poet and volunteer.
Get crazy excited: The speaker emphasizes the importance of being genuinely enthusiastic about what you love, even if others find it strange.
Being passionate and excited about your interests leads to a deeper understanding of yourself and creates opportunities to join communities that share your passions.
Don't be cool: The speaker advises against conforming to societal expectations of 'coolness' and instead suggests embracing one's true self.
Personal reflection: The speaker realizes that being true to themselves was the best decision and led to personal growth and achievement.
The speaker acknowledges that teenagers face immense pressure to be perfect and achieve everything, but encourages resilience and exploration instead.
High school is a stepping stone, not a defining point. The speaker emphasizes that personal identity is something you define yourself, not by high school.
The speaker criticizes the negative portrayal of teenagers in statistics and media, highlighting that teenagers are capable of great things.
Teenagers are dreamers and idealists, and this fearlessness allows them to try new things without being limited by fear of failure.
Key message: Fear should not stop anyone from pursuing what they want, as mistakes and failures are part of growth.
The speech ends with the core takeaways: Jump in, Get excited, and Be yourself, encouraging personal empowerment.
Transcripts
[Applause]
hello everyone so I'm here today to talk
about how to survive high school when I
was little I thought that high school
was going to be like High School Musical
I thought we were going to dance into
random routines and I was going to study
hard and get into Y at Gabriella and
have a boyfriend like to that Keon that
didn't happen because my boyfriend is
not Z Eon but instead I went into
college and I realized that it was a lot
harder than I thought it was going to be
it was challenging and stressful and
full of people just like me who thought
if I studied hard enough I can get into
a good college I could do amazing things
with my four years now it doesn't matter
who you are at some point you would have
experienced high school and those four
years are game changers they determine
who you're going to become in the future
and so for me instead of stressing out
about what classes should I take and
what should I do in those four years I
came up with three big Ideas three
incredibly easy but often difficult
steps in surviving high school now I
just want to say a quick disclaimer I'm
only a teenage girl I've been to watch
Netflix way too much I'm not crazy
popular I've never been to a party where
the popo show up and I like reading
romance novels about love triangles or
any other geometric shape I also have a
LoveHate relationship with high school
now therefore I don't know everything I
turn 18 on Saturday and I'm not an adult
yet so doesn't mean that you should
listen to me and even when I'm an adult
you might not want to listen to me
either but these three steps have
allowed me to strive in high school have
allowed me to do a lot of things that
I'm pretty proud
of so with that here's a picture of a
show and if you don't know what 9 or2
and0 is 9 or2 and0 is a show about a
group of young hip skinny Rich teenagers
who go to West Beverly Hills High School
and on this show they have to deal with
a lot of problems now besides some the
obvious the the picture on the right
depicts the newer version of the show
and despite it being predictable and
cheesy and not so much set in reality
what I love about it is time capsule now
what you can't tell is a show on the
right deals with a lot of issues that we
as teenagers today have to deal with the
characters in the show deal with their
sexuality they deal with getting good
grades getting into college and dealing
with
diversity the high school on the right
is not the high school on the left see
being a teenager has changed over the
years and that means that we have to
adapt it it means that no matter where
you go whether it's West Beverly Hills
High School citos Whitney High School's
rough we're expected to have passions
and be optimistic and be hard working
work and everything under the sun and a
lot of the times we can't do that I
can't do that so instead of having an
existential crisis every other day I
decided to come up with three big Ideas
three ways for me to get through high
school and get into a college that I
really wanted to and trying to discover
who I was as a person my first step is
jump in it doesn't matter what you want
to do if you want to write a book start
writing a book if you want to learn
French probably if you want to travel
around the world start raising money
trying everything under the sun allows
you to discover your passions and allows
you to realize what you want to do my
parents used to tell me that I was
spreading myself too thin that I was
trying too much and really I should
study for college and go to college and
go to college and go to med school and
go to med school and become a doctor and
all this stuff that I didn't really want
to do right now I wanted to explore and
I wanted to try new things and that
meant that I jumped in and if I had
listened to them I wouldn't be a
published poet I wouldn't have traveled
the world and world and volunteer
hospitals on the other side of it the
next step is get crazy excited about
things and I don't mean go home and
start a tumbler about Sherlock or te
wolf however awesome that is that's not
what I'm saying I'm saying that if you
love Slovakian literature or nonprofits
or biomed engineering you are allowed to
get unironically and enthusiastic ially
excited about it you're allowed to jump
in your seat and scream into pillows and
share the miracle of human consciousness
because when you get crazy excited about
stuff you're driven to do more you're
driven to be a part of a community
that's bigger than yourself as a whole
and you learn more about
yourself my last step is don't be cool
be
yourself like I said before I'm not
super popular at school but I realized
that when you're popular
and this is a thing all high schoolers
sort of learn that means that you have
to limit
yourself you don't wear cargo pants cuz
they're not cool you don't spike your
hair with gel in a '90s fashion because
that's not cool but you know if you want
to do that if that's you do it that is
cool for you and I know embracing the
overs said cliche of being yourself is
really redundant that was the best thing
I had ever done for myself because when
you step out of society's stream of
consciousness
and start swimming in your own you
realize that there's so much more out
there it goes back to my first step just
jump into things it doesn't matter what
it is try everything new and you learn
more about yourself and it goes back to
my second Point get really crazy excited
about things the person on the other
side of the street may look at you weird
if you get excited over a new episode of
Sherlock or a new publication in the
medical journal but that's you embrace
it so this is me and the past four years
I've done a lot of things that I'm proud
of because of the three steps that I've
embraced I've traveled to DC and I've
represented organizations I've traveled
around the world and volunteered at
hospitals and I've done a lot of things
that I never thought I would do and
along the way I met some really amazing
people now what I've learned is that
high school does not define me I Define
myself High School is merely a jumping
off point for what you want to become
and col is just a step along the
way but the bigger question is who are
we when I was researching for this
speech I tried to look up statistics and
a lot of the statistics had one thing in
common about teenagers they were all
really really
negative did you know that 80% of
smokers start before their 18 did you
know that eight young people die a day
in alcohol related car
accidence I've realized that in a way
adults often find teenagers as natural
as
troublemakers and although this is our
age where we're allowed to make
mistakes teenagers are supposed to be
dreamers we're supposed to be idealists
and believe that we're Invincible
because we
are we're not afraid to try new things
we're not afraid to do anything that's
uncool or cool we're allowed to do
mistakes that would make our parents mad
and everything that we want to
do so in the end and the most that I
could say is don't let fear hind your
guard don't let fear stop you from doing
the things that you want to do because
in the end we Define
ourselves so jump in get crazy excited
about
stuff and don't be cool be
yourself thank you
[Applause]
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