I am seventeen. I am ignorant, impolite and irresponsible. I lie, cheat, and hate for no apparent reason. I am unkind, self-centered, and rude. I have never known grief, disappointment,
or despair. I refuse to talk to my parents about my life, preferring to spread insignificant gossip
with my friends. I speed down slick, country roads pushing 90 miles an hour, causing car
accidents and conflicts wherever I go. I am oblivious to all current events and worldly situations,
present or past. I am noisy, fake, and obnoxious. I smoke and drink at every opportunity and am,
to all outside eyes, completely lost within myself and this world.
I am a teenager, one of the most stereotyped age groups in existence. Ironically, I have
been unfairly placed under the far too common stereotype of a reckless youth who is unaware,
unkind, and unappreciative. I am the nuisance of the world; causing more avoidable car
accidents, misusing all of my free time, and sleeping through most of my required high school
classes. When people look at me, they examine through self-tinted lenses, colored with doubt,
distrust, and disgrace. For these reasons, along with hundreds more, the generations before me
are terrified of the day that I become an adult because the world will then, without a doubt,
crumble apart in the hands of a newly turned eighteen year old.
Most of these people will never find out how modest, compassionate, and generous I
actually am. I am a devoted daughter, a dedicated student, a loyal friend, and a selfless volunteer.
I am an associate, a photographer, and an artist. I voice my opinions and don’t change them just
because one of my peers vehemently disagrees. I love, dislike, and show indifference. I do not
judge or put others down because their dreams are far calmer than what I can’t contain within my
wild mind. Some would interpret those dreams as improbable, maybe even impossible, but I
have the ambition to make them a reality. I will go to college not only to find lifelong friends,
but to push myself one step closer to the goals I want so badly. Through kind actions, intellectual
discussions, and genuine consideration, I will change the stereotypes that are wrongly placed
upon me and my peers.
One word, one person, one day at a time, I will show those who judge that we are not
inferior. Although I am sure that when I am older and wiser there will be, yet another, group of
ungrateful, impolite, and uncontrollable youth, I hope I will be able to hold onto these memories
and look beyond the labels and see the true individuals inside. For now, I will remain honest,
independent, and passionate, but, most importantly, I am simply me: seventeen.