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Schools

Teen Spirit

I look at the motivation that drives high schoolers and my summer road trip

While searching the MLB.com homepage over the past two weeks for updates on the Twins, I noticed a link that asked, “Is watching baseball your dream job?” I could not help but think, “Why, yes, it is!”

My hope is to become a sports journalist and, more specifically, to write about baseball. Watching baseball is truly my dream job, and I have great hope that I will one day be able to live my dream.

I strongly believe that having this goal in front of me is indicative of the spirit of high schoolers. We are driven by the idea that we can improve our standing in life and accomplish all the goals we have set for ourselves.

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This week was spirit week at Hopkins High School. But even though the Pep Fest was a success, there was very little enthusiasm for the spirit-themed days outside of that required event. Students were generally uninterested in the events planned out for them.

However, this week also saw the arrival of the student–made state basketball shirts for the sectional tournament coming up this week. I noticed that there was a sharp contrast in the way that students responded to the ideas put forth by the school and the ideas that were created by students.

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It is my belief that we as young adults are much more responsive to ideas of our own design. We like to see the ingenuity and creativity of our own minds and the minds of our peers.

This idea is the reason why three friend and I will take a road trip this summer to celebrate our graduation from high school. It will be a sort of initiation into life after living with our families. The problem is, we will need the permission and help of our parents in order to plan and take this trip.

This evening, the four of us guys and a parent each will meet over dinner to discuss what it will take to make this trip a reality and lay out what will be needed to prepare. While it is exciting to see the trip begin to come together, it will also be a challenge to ensure that the trip remains ours and not our parent’s creation.

It should be noted that I am appreciative of the time and consideration that my parents are putting forth and that I understand that I need their help to advise us on the proper way to make our journey. However, it is essential that we keep the integrity of the trip intact and make it a recent graduate-directed project.

For me, this time of my life is about branching out, doing things that interest me and doing those things independently. I feel like my peers and I are testing the waters to make sure that we do have a chance of reaching our dreams and making a life for ourselves in the world.

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