Floating Past the Checklist

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I crossed the last box on my checklist: join the right clubs. But, what does that really mean? How do I know what's right? What do colleges really want? Does the number of clubs I do even matter? These questions never leave my head. In fact, society makes it seem like you're behind if you don't follow the "magic" rules of taking every AP class, joining every club, doing research, joining a lab, etc. If you haven't been doing this, it feels like you're way behind. Even though you really aren't.

I started to spiral through my own thoughts and what society has made seem "normal" these days. Whether it was the pressure of trying to be like everyone else or fit into a checklist titled "how to be successful," I started to loose what actually mattered to me. That's when we were assigned to read Nicole Dennis-Benn's story "Swimmer." The main character in the story wasn't just trying not to drown but was also trying to escape all the voices that told her what to be. 

Sometimes freedom isn't just about being the faster swimmer, it's about trying to stay afloat. It's about taking a breath or a break when you need it, ignoring the "how to become a millionaire" lists, and remembering that life isn't a competition. Freedom came to me when I realized that I don't have to be like anyone else and stack my schedule, I just had to be me. The one who's always gonna be there.

Comments

  1. Manasa SundaresanSeptember 21, 2025 at 12:38 PM

    Nishika you did a great job capturing how most students feel in this rat race called high school. I couldn’t agree more with how you feel. The questions in the first paragraph really make one think about their life and goals as well and make the reader feel involved. The way you used Swimmer and related your experience made it even easier to relate and grasp the extent of how lost we all might feel. I really liked the way you ended this piece with a little advice that you implement in your own life. You’re totally right when you say we just need to go with the flow and just try to stay afloat.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Angelina GeorgeSeptember 21, 2025 at 8:38 PM

    I really liked how you connected your experience to the Swimmer. Since it shows how a piece can show our own struggles and give us clarity. The ending is especially really good because it shifts the focus from competition to self-acceptance.

    ReplyDelete

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