“A human being is not attaining his full heights until he is educated.” – Horrace Mann

It is important to remember messages such as these when the pressure of high school really sets in. Will I make friends? Will I fit in? Will my teachers be too strict? It takes a few years and a couple life lessons to really understand the insignificance of these questions. High school isn’t a popularity contest or a soap opera, it’s a learning institution that will help to mold you into the person that you one day hope to be. It’s a stepping stone on the path to a life that you can be proud of.

Statistics Canada reports that 191,000 young people aged 20 to 24 had not completed a high school diploma and were not attending school in 2009-2010, though this is a significant drop from the 340,000 in 1990-1991, it is still a cause for concern. Too many high school students are not taking their education seriously and are putting their futures on the back burner.

It may seem cool to work in a fast food restaurant or a trendy clothing store for now, while you are living at home with your parents or guardians, and your income is solely for partying or material things. But eventually that roof with no longer be over your head, and your free ride will be over. Suddenly, those 32 hours a week and that minimum wage job won’t seem so glamorous anymore. You’re faced with the reality of bill payments and rent cheques and that bank account is getting smaller and smaller every month. This is when it hits you – “I should have just toughed it out and stayed in school.”

It takes a lot of hard work and motivation to succeed in this world. A cushy, high paying job won’t just be handed to you on a silver platter (unless you are one of the lucky few, but let’s face it… if you were, you wouldn’t need us) and every dollar in that bank account will have been earned with pride.

Whether you’re bullied, burdened or just plain lazy, a high school diploma is an accomplishment that is recognized all over the world, and there is nothing that should keep you from it. Keep your eye on the prize and before you know it, you’ll be throwing your hat in the air, anxiously awaiting what comes next…