If you follow me on my Instagram page, you may have seen that I posted about graduating from high school a year early. Yes, the person behind this blog is a high school student. The articles and website were created by a high school student. 

If you saw my post, you saw a photo of my class ring. It has my name, my graduation year, and my birthstone. I was so happy to receive it via mail, but my class ring means more than just a rite of passage and a closing life chapter. It also symbolizes my perseverance, strength, and progression through life’s struggles. My backstory is too long to talk about in depth here, but I will sum it up in an appropriate manner.

The thing about me is that I was a happy person. I loved to laugh, smile, spread joy, and be funny. Those are some qualities that I treasure about myself. But when I was in seventh grade, I had those qualities taken away from me. I was poked fun at and I felt like I wasn’t valued at school. I won’t name names, but there were a few people who stuck with me the most. In other words, they gave me the most trauma and they stayed in my mind the most (not in a good way). They include a former teacher, a couple of former friends, and a boy who was obviously obsessed with focusing on me.

With all of that became suicidal thoughts and a long period of trauma. Even after getting help, I had a lot of struggles with self-esteem and motivation. I would question the purpose of school, the purpose of trying anything, and the purpose of my existence. But despite those obstacles, I kept pushing. I managed to maintain high grades, scoring all A’s and being in the top 10 of my class. I managed to do different activities and accomplish so much over the last few years. Mix it all together, and I have a precious ring that I will treasure forever.

I didn’t think I would live this long and make it to this point of my life. It was a very hard journey, but I’m still here due to my own resilience. And I will not be leaving anytime soon. I have so much more to offer and dozens of years to live. I believe in me, and no one is going to stop me from rolling. This is only the beginning of my empire. My class ring will forever remind me of that. You call it a normal class ring. I call it a symbol of survival.

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