HT Xue, Editor-in-Chief
Over my time at Milton, I’ve received a lot of advice from older students about how to spend my time here (“be yourself”, “try everything”, etc.). Living through Milton has taught me that it’s much easier said than done to follow through with these big-picture guidelines. So, in my last chance as a Milton student to impart some counsel, I want to reflect on two principles I’ve followed during my time here and what I wish I knew about them earlier.
1) “Milton is a special place, so enjoy it.”
Milton can indeed give you special – magical, even – moments. But, as you enter your upperclassmen years, and responsibilities mount, these moments might seem to become rarer. My advice on how to make more out of Milton: there is nothing innately magical about this place – rather, the people who constitute it (i.e. you) make it magical. My most meaningful experiences at Milton were magical because someone put their heart into it. For example, cross country this year was unforgettable because my co-captain Teddy set an example for the team with his passion for the sport.
As an underclassman, every moment here will feel like a dream come true, because the fun, the community, and the very infrastructure of the school is facilitated by adults and older students, and you get the opportunity to take part. As an upperclassman, you become a part of the infrastructure, both formally and informally, whether you like it or not. On one hand, that means the excitement of being here dulls. On the other, that means you get a uniquely powerful say in molding the school. So, mold it.
Want to change school culture? Then model your desired behavior yourself; the school is small enough that individual actions shape broader habits. Want school policy to change? Submit an opinion article to The Paper, and the right people will likely read it. Love a club and wish it were more prominent? Then put your all into that club: bring your boldest ideas and be uncompromisingly passionate. Loving a team, dorm, or friend group? Choose, everyday, to nurture that community. You are the Milton experience. Your actions shape it. Don’t spend your time here waiting for the magical things to happen. Make them happen.
2) “Say yes to everything.”
At face value, this piece of advice seems sensible, as you should take advantage of Milton’s unique abundance of opportunity. Yet, in today’s increasingly college-focused high school environment, the mindset of “saying yes” inevitably comes hand-in-hand with the pressure to quickly find a college-presentable set of activities to commit to before it’s too late to apply to leadership positions. Following this principle, I took on too many responsibilities my sophomore and junior years, each of which diluted one another. I was burnt out, and my personal relationships suffered as I prioritized performing achievement over being an actual person.
This experience taught me that before building a habit of saying yes, one has to learn to say no first. Underneath all the things you do or are passionate about (what you’ve said yes to) is a raw, unembellished, real person. You have to find that person before you decorate them. Doing so requires you to say no to some activities you’re interested in, and that’s okay. Let your intellectual growth happen naturally, and learn to be a real person in the moments in between: strive to be kind to others, be a good friend, rest, play, laugh a lot, practice mindfulness, and exercise your body. Only once you’ve done these things will you be ready to say yes, and fiercely shine as you’re meant to.