| | Published July 4th, 2012
| Consider This: What's Your Footprint?
| | By Steven Zhou | | |
Ionce heard that a person's life could be compared to a footprint. The actions we take and the choices we make inform the intricate details of the legacy we leave behind on this earth. As teenagers, we are just starting to form our own footprints. Yet even with sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen years on the planet, we teens have at the very least, impacted the people in our community and school system.
If you look into a mirror, what do you see besides your physical body? Does your reflection indicate the mark you have left so far? For all of us seniors, this is an important time to consider who we are, before we leave for college to make our own impressions on the world.
Recently I've been considering this question, and asking friends about their thoughts.
For example, I believe that my footprint to date has been marked by service. I learn by doing. Whether it's through musical production, administrative tasks, radio producing, or swim coaching, my high school experience has been defined by the activities in which I have partaken, rather than the tests I have passed or the classes I've taken. My footprint clearly shows that it's never too early to start putting skills and talents to work.
Two other Lamorinda seniors reflected on their high school experiences. Robert B stated that the memories of growing up in a household of engineers motivated him to follow in the footsteps of his family to become a fourth generation engineer. The footprint he leaves behind is one of not "missing any opportunities to learn and grow." Another senior, Daniel K, discussed his formal education as his footprint statement, describing it as the "basis to life after school" and his opportunity for "college, graduation, and getting a job." To the people around them, these seniors leave behind legacies and footprints marked with different but fully admirable life purposes.
However, there's no harm in not being able to distinctly phrase one's legacy or footprint. A former Campolindo student said, "I don't think I have a point to make... sometimes there doesn't need to be a point in order to make a point." This particular student's answer to the question brings to light the advantages of leaving some leeway for adventure, detours, and u-turns on our paths of life. Given our age, our footprints are only just being shaped. There is a benefit to knowing which road you will take, but there is also a benefit in being able to make a sharp left turn onto an entirely different road, when you feel called to it. Sometimes, in order to leave a footprint, we don't have to necessarily be decided on a distinct path.
For all those reading this article, consider this: What footprint do you want to make in this world? What will others remember you for? What will be your legacy?
A senior at Miramonte, swim coach and musician, Steven Zhou, is the Host and Administrator for Express Yourself!(tm) Teen Radio as well as active in school and church activities.
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| The opinions expressed in Teen Scene are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the Lamorinda Weekly.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA