“Haven’t you heard?’ “Don’t you know?” “She’s that girl.” The girl who is dumb, clueless, full of questions and promiscuous.

I’ve never failed a class in my life, I am in all AP classes, and I am abstinent. All these facts are true, describe me and define me. I am proud of these things; I want them to define me. But somehow in the mess of high school it’s not what I’m known for. I’m known for being rude, sarcastic and a whole slew of other things I’m sure.

How did this happen? How did I go from the calm, quiet girl I was in middle school to being known, and not fondly. How did I lose what I was, and yet what I became nobody noticed, they noticed my path getting there and the rumors they heard along the way. So maybe the journey is everything, but I don’t want to be known for it. I worked hard to be who I am, and I want people to know it.

“Haven’t you heard?” She made something of herself. “Don’t you know?” She doesn’t regret the journey or the destination. “She’s that girl.” The girl who one day you’ll look back and think I knew her once.

Why don’t I hear this in the hallways? Where is the faith in people, in their capabilities? Everyone has moments they regret, things they wished they never did. But why do we have to remember them for it? If our social media and lives are constantly updating, why can’t our reputations? Why can’t I be remembered as someone who’s not ashamed, and why can’t I remember all of my friends as their own special quality. Let’s change our ways, our memories. Let’s laugh at the rumors, and the mistakes, let’s remember what’s good and not what the fallback was. Let’s make a change for the better, and set an example.