With finals coming soon and the last quarter of the school year already started, seniors are getting their acceptance or rejection letters from their dream schools and deciding what they want to do after graduation. It’s the time of year when many students have to deal with failure.

Experiences

An anonymous female sophomore that chose to stay anonymous said, “I believe one of my biggest failures would have to be leaving a class just because I couldn’t handle it.”

Senior Kevin Severo said, “My biggest failure was when I performed a solo piece for a choir event and ended up publicly humiliating myself after practicing the song every single day since the first day it had been announced.”

For junior Ines Moya it was not winning a place in a STEM competition that she really worked hard to get into.

Sophomore Kiana Ramirez believes failure is when you willingly choose not to improve. “It’s another step to success. It shouldn’t stop you from growing because mistakes don’t define you as a person,” she said.

Defining Failure

Failure means different things to different students. Sophomore Kiana Ramirez believes failure is when you willingly choose not to improve. “It’s another step to success. It shouldn’t stop you from growing because mistakes don’t define you as a person,” she said.

Similarly, junior Tayleen Nunez believes failing is OK because everyone fails at something at some point in their lives. “I wish failure wasn’t so looked down on because it’s what makes us humans at the end of the day. As long as you are trying your very best, that’s all that matters,” she said.

Indeed, according to junior Sharon Lazzara, “Failure is when you’ve stopped making attempts in what you want to achieve.”

For junior Jeremyah Thompson, failure is not being happy. “If I’m working in a job that I don’t like or taking a class I fully am not enjoying, that’s a failure to me,” he said.

The Fear

     Failure can be scary. For sophomore Ashely Hernandez, it is the fear of disappointing her family and herself.

Kevin Severo said, “I fear failing because why would anyone want to put in time and effort just to have it all go to waste.”

On the other hand, Tayleen Nunez said she used to have a tremendous fear of failure, yet over the years, she has come to terms that failure is just a part of life. “I see so many teachers treat us as if we don’t amount to anything if we fail a test. They always want to tell us that we need to study more, yet, when? They can’t tell us we should’ve tried harder because they don’t know what went on behind closed curtains. They don’t know if we really worked our butts off or not because they simply weren’t there. They are no one to tell us how we should and how much we need to study because most of them don’t see their own failures,” she said.

Like Tayleen, junior Keilyn Delgado doesn’t fear failing because it can push you into the right direction. “Failing could make you learn your lesson and motivate you to strive harder to get what you want to achieve,” she said.

The Lesson

     Although failing can be scary to some it has its lessons. Junior Lucy Severo said, “Failure has taught me to not take on more than I can actually manage.”

An anonymous senior male said, “Failing at some things in life is showing you that not everything in life is meant to be. All you can do is continue on with life and try harder when another opportunity presents itself.”

Senior Johnathan Rodriguez said, “To fail is to succeed. Each mistake is something that we live by and learn to overcome the next time.”

Tayleen Nunez said, “Failure isn’t always failing. It has taught me to be a stronger person and more in touch with my feelings, hopes, and aspirations.”

Junior Tayleen Nunez said, “I see so many teachers treat us as if we don’t amount to anything if we fail a test. They always want to tell us that we need to study more, yet, when? They can’t tell us we should’ve tried harder because they don’t know what went on behind closed curtains….”

How to Cope

Even though failure can teach many lessons, it still hurts. The best way students cope is by doing whatever makes them find comfort. Junior Soo-yung Navarro said, “I reflect for a while, and remind myself that failure is part of the learning experience.”

Junior Emma Alonso said, “I don’t let failure get to me by curling up in a ball and crying. It won’t help with such a thing. Sure, it’s normal to feel upset, but certainly not OK to beat yourself up for it. The best way I cope with failure is by letting myself express my thoughts and feelings to my parents.”

Defining Success

Success, too, lends itself to a variety of definitions. Junior Tomy Castillo said that success is defined by who you are and the person you aspire to be. That success is measured differently for each person. What may be a small accomplishment for one person can be a huge milestone for another. “Someone once told me, treat all your accomplishments the same, no matter how small they seem,” he said.

Kiana Ramirez believes success is subjective, but to her, it means finding the balance between academic and social success. “You have to have both in order to truly feel happy, and if you can’t find happiness, you can’t find success,” she said.