Hello my dedicated blog viewers. Or… soon to be dedicated. This is the first blog that I am writing for the Bishop Carroll Flyer website and I will be publishing another EVERY Friday. My name is Anna Schmidt, and I have been a student at Carroll for almost four years now. I am currently a senior and am coming to you with all the advice I have built up after four years of high school. 

Ok, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself here. I guess I should explain why I am doing this. Warning, this is going to be raw. 

The reason I volunteered to write a blog post every week is because I want desperately to be a part of something that helps freshmen and underclassmen and ok, all high schoolers, in the midst of the extreme confusion that comes with this stage of our lives. I want this because when I first started high school, I felt an immense amount of social pressure and confusion, and looking back, really could have used a clear and honest voice that told me I wasn’t alone, and that things get better.  

Ok, I’ve gotten ahead of myself again. What was that confusion and social pressure, you might be wondering? Well, it can’t all be covered this week. That’s what I’ll get to throughout the course of the year. My struggles varied from body image insecurity, jealousy, excessive desire for attention, boys that didn’t notice me, situational depression, anxiety, pressure with grades, and more. You might not have struggled with all of these things (or at least I’m hoping that you didn’t), and maybe your life situation is far different from mine, but I’m hoping that maybe you can find a way to relate to what I went through. I’m hoping that my vulnerability and willingness to share the things I have gone through, can be passed down and used to advise and help future students, so that not everyone has to feel as lost as I did.  

Don’t worry though! I’m not just going to drown you in my sorrows. I will also just be using this spot on the website to talk about fun/interesting/controversial topics that inspire me to put pen to paper. I want this to be an outlet for my emotions, as well as a place for YOU to come and read and feel like you have someone who gets you, and wants to honestly share what they are going through with YOU. I want to be a part of a movement that stops putting up facades, and stops acting like they have it all together. I’m here to show you what it really looks like to be the developing and curious high school student at Bishop Carroll that we all are. I hope you enjoy.

Your friend,

Anna Schmidt