Before you die, what do you want to do? It’s possible if you decide you’re willing to do it and aren’t going to let fear overcome  you and your mind when considering all of the risks. Risks don’t necessarily have to be intimidating things such as going sky diving. They can be as little as talking to a crush. A risk can be a simple situation like making an important decision, yet the endless conversation that goes through our minds makes us think otherwise, making us afraid of something so easy.

Numerous students at Miami High have overcome risks at least once. By trusting in themselves, they’ve all decided to go after what they wanted to accomplish.

Junior Amanda Suarez chose to run for junior class officer with already another important position under her name.  Amanda said, “I decided to do it because I know it’ll benefit me in many ways, which was one of the reasons I became determined to become class officer.”

Amanda at first was scared to fail, but she knew down deep she could accomplish it. She said, “Once I decided to run, there was no going back, I put great amounts of effort into it, and proudly I won the position.”  Amanda learned to have great confidence in herself and her abilities so in the future she’ll run for another position again.

We’re all afraid of taking a risk; many students at Miami High agree they’ve let fear consume them at least once. For instance, sophomore Emily Barahona decided she wanted to try gymnastics. This was a big deal for her because she’s always been afraid of doing flips, yet she loves heights.

“My first time attending a Twenty-one Pilots concert, which I had been dreaming of since I was 10, automatically lifted my emotions…. When I first walked in, my body felt so light. When we finally do what we love and have been dreaming of, our physical and spiritual body feels complete.”

-Luis Mendoza, freshman

Emily said, “I decided to sign up for a gymnastics class with advanced students. I don’t remember what I was thinking, but the first day of class, I remember being so nervous that I started to hide in the locker room. I became so afraid by thinking of the worst situations, but shortly after, I started remembering how much I love heights and went on with the class.”

Emily learned that trying new things will be uncomfortable at first, but if she remains persistent, she can get through anything she desires, and she will try new things whenever she can.  Not only did she learn how to do flips, but at incredible altitude because of her love of heights.

What we consider to be a risk may not always be a huge scenario, such as jumping off a flying airplane with no parachute. A person can make an uncomplicated situation into a much more complex one simply by overthinking all that comes with the situation. Many students at Miami High say they have considered it a risk to speak up and tell a significant other how they feel.

Junior Michael Centeno decided to finally talk to a girl he had developed a crush on in his class. He said, “I consider this a risk because I’m a very shy person when it comes to girls, plus I tend to blush a lot, so it’ll probably make her uncomfortable.”

However, Michael decided he wasn’t going to let his shyness get in the way of the pretty girl he built up courage and spoke to her. He claimed, “When I spoke to her, she was very understanding, and she didn’t mind how i started to blush. By talking to her, I learned that being shy with girls is completely normal, and I can overcome this. It made me confident, so in the future l wouldn’t mind talking to pretty girls.”

Waiting on a certain time in life to finally take that risk is what most people rather do. Many students are like senior Andrew Murillo, who is deciding to wait until he graduates high school to finally attend the Ultra music festival he’s been dreaming of since young. Andrew said, “I rather wait because it’ll be a huge risk, and I’ll be vulnerable to everything in the festival like immense amounts of people and dangerous situations with drugs.”

“When I spoke to her, she was very understanding, and she didn’t mind how I started to blush. By talking to her, I learned that being shy with girls is completely normal, and I can overcome this. It made me confident, so in the future l wouldn’t mind talking to pretty girls.”

-Micheal Centeno, junior

The feeling one gets when finally overcoming something they have been dreaming of is unexplainable. Freshman Luis Mendoza said, “My first time attending a Twenty-one Pilots concert, which I had been dreaming of since I was 10, automatically lifted my emotions, and all of the sudden, I forgot about everything. When I first I walked in, my body felt so light. When we finally do what we love and have been dreaming of, our physical and spiritual body feels complete.”