Dear Grade 9s, here's my advice about starting something new in uncertain times
Amina El Sharif is about to start university, but she remembers how it felt to be the new kid in high school
No matter who you are, COVID-19 has impacted your life. But the pandemic is especially stressful when you're about to move to the next chapter.
I graduated from high school in the midst of the pandemic and am about to start university. With officials now saying the virus will be with us for years, I'm getting nervous thinking about the future and the drastic impact this will have on life at school.
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Next year, I will be attending Carleton University studying global and international studies.
Ordinarily, I would have been buying school supplies, seeing high school friends before they leave for other cities and enjoying the last few stress-free weeks before starting this new thing.
But this year, school is going to be mostly online. And there are many questions and unknowns about how it will work.
Many of the same feelings I had when I first entered high school are resurfacing. I think back to how nervous and jumpy I felt on my first day of Grade 9, or how lost and confused I felt on my first day at my first job, selling shoes at Nike.
My brother, Ahmed, is starting Grade 9 at my old high school. Although he is ready to go back, see old friends and play sports, he doesn't know what it will all look like now. Normally, I could explain what to expect, and he'd have other older students to guide him. But this year everyone is so unsure of what will happen.
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In Grade 9, I relied on the Grade 12 students I met at orientation to help me feel comfortable all year. Face-to-face connections helped during that transition, which is why when I got to my junior and senior years, I also volunteered to guide incoming Grade 9s.
I was hoping welcome orientations and "frosh" would help me start university, too, but unfortunately most of those have been moved online, delayed or cancelled.
Feelings of insecurity are inevitable during a transition, because with change comes discomfort. But now we are facing uncharted territory.
Knowing others may be feeling nervous like me, and won't have the support they normally would, I decided to offer a few words of advice for high school freshmen or anyone else taking on something new during the pandemic.
Learn to love learning
Life is easier when you're doing something you love. Whether you're a student whose job is to learn new things (and learn a new way of going to school), or a person having to adapt to the pandemic, we're all gaining new skills right now.
In high school, I struggled with courses that involved math or memorization, but I loved courses such as history and law. I realized I like the idea of storytelling, and it helped something stick in my head. I decided to bring storytelling techniques to those other courses, and it helped me struggle less and enjoy them more.
Now, I'm hoping to find a way to love online learning since that's the new reality.
'It's not about talent, it's about heart'
There were times in high school where I thought, "I'm just not good enough." I wouldn't bother trying because I thought I wasn't going to succeed.
This quote helped me start believing in myself. I think it's important, especially during hard times, to have faith in yourself.
Broaden your horizons
Thanks to COVID, I have recently become more of an outdoors person, trying hiking and kayaking for the first time.
Those memories are some I'll hold just as close as my first high school dance or spirit week, and I regret not trying them earlier.
Make time to try new things, even if you're busy trying to navigate this new and scary time. I hope to try paddle boarding and ride the new scooters downtown next!
WATCH | Hear El Sharif read part of her message:
Finally, my last piece of advice might be hard, during a time when the unknown has become the "new normal," but high school's abrupt end made me realize how quickly things change and end.
So — enjoy this time. I never believed anyone older than me who said times goes by so fast, but it's true.
Good luck to all on the first day!
Amina El Sharif is entering her first year at Carleton University studying global and international studies. She plans to live at home to take courses online.
