"What if people don't like it?" he said, his voice only just audible.
"They're all expecting something brilliant from me."
"It doesn't matter," I said. "It's your show. If you like it, then it is brilliant."
Dear High School Students,
I think we all agree on the fact that life can be pretty hard, especially when you are in high school. There may be many reasons as to why, but I guarantee that more than half of those reasons are - and I say this from my own experience - academic pressure. Does that word sound familiar to you? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by schoolwork or worried about what your future is going to look like? Were you ever concerned whether or not you will get into the university you’ve been dreaming about for your entire life? I certainly have. As someone who also struggles a lot with academic pressure, I want to tell you: we are in this together. We are going to be okay. Don’t stress too much; just because we don’t get into the university we want to doesn’t mean we’ve failed in life. But perhaps there’s a way these words could be better delivered. Let me introduce you to a little book I’ve come across during summer break that completely changed my perspective towards life: Radio Silence by Alice Oseman.
Radio Silence is a young-adult contemporary novel that centers around the main protagonist, Frances Zanvier. Frances is a senior in high school who is dead set to get into Cambridge University. Yes, you heard it right - the Cambridge you know. She spends all her time doing homework, studying for tests, and most importantly, getting good grades. No. Fantastic grades. You might be thinking, ‘So what? She’s nothing like me.’ You see, Frances has a secret that nobody knows about her. She is a massive fan of a podcast called Universe City, for which she draws day and night. That’s the only thing she does outside of her schoolwork, but she doesn’t even consider it as her hobby. She’s never told anyone about it because Frances is afraid they will make fun of her and her artwork. I mean, you can’t get into Cambridge just because you like to draw fanart. Right?
But everything changes when Radio Silence, the creator of Universe City, offers Frances to collaborate with him. But she soon realizes that Aled, an acquaintance from school and a freshman in Cambridge, is the Radio Silence. As they spend time together, Frances learns more about Aled and how his seemingly perfect life is falling apart. At the end, Frances realizes that success looks different for everybody. She missed what’s been there beside her all along, blinded by the definition of success she’s been forced to believe in by the society. I won’t spoil what happens after that, but still do hear these words out.
Define what success means to YOU. Not your friends, not your parents. The formula “University, job, money, happiness” that we are so used to, might not always work. Just because everyone else seems to be doing it doesn’t mean you have to. Don’t rush yourself trying to keep up with other people’s timelines. Take your time. Do you, be you. Do what you love. And be happy.
From the very bottom of my heart,
Emma Jeong.