The Morton Collegian

The voice of the Morton College community.

Creative Non-Fiction: Ximena Zapata, “How to Be a Successful Student and Person in Life”

Did you know that high school students drop out almost every day? They either don’t care about finishing school, want to party, or want to become social influencers because education is so overrated! But not here! Life is hard as it is already, but we have the solution to be better than everyone else! If you want to make an impact on the world, then follow these helpful steps to be a top student in your school and beyond because happiness and close friends won’t get you anywhere in life!

Step 1: Have a mom who encourages you to think about the school that you never heard of and consider attending that school. (Don’t worry, you don’t have a choice to make, so you’re going anyway!)

Step 2: Slowly start to accept the reality of attending school without your friends and cry about it. Even though they were the first group of friends you made, forget about them! There will be plenty of fish in the sea, but you know that you’re autistic and have been labeled as weird your entire life, so there might be a slim chance of making new friends.

Step 3: Stick with your sister. You just found out that she is going to the same high school as you, which means you won’t be lonely! Tell yourself that as long as you have her as your twin, nothing can the two of you: It’s you guys against the world.

Step 4: Once you get in, follow everything that the school will tell you: quit your hobbies, sit up straight in every class, and do homework every day! Once you graduate, this is how your life will be, so you might as well get used to it!

Step 5: Keep your distance from people. You know that if you show your real self, people will judge you and make you feel less important. Always have a serious face and show no emotion to anyone. That will help you from getting hurt by people.

Step 6: Don’t rely on your sister. You thought that you guys would stick together, but you realize that she’s her own person. She gets along with everyone, and you don’t. Stick with the one person that has stayed with you the longest: yourself.

Step 7: Get comfortable in your mind. You’re going to be there for a while! Instead of trying to make friends in real life, you could fantasize about making friends in your mind because we all know that rejection hurts. Your friends in your fantasies will never leave you; after all, it’s your mind!

Conclusion

Well, that’s all you need to do to be a successful student and person! Remember to always review these steps if you want a house to live in and work in the future. You will be the person everyone wants you to be, including your mom, who wants you to be successful but not happy in life. But hey, life is hard to begin with. With that out of the way, welcome to the real world!

Warnings: With this new lifestyle, you might experience loneliness, stress, depression, anxiety, and self-pity if you start to question these steps. Don’t, and you’ll be fine!

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