This April marks National Hope Month, prompting all high school students to reflect on what hope truly means. With all that has happened this past year, hope is necessary for students to see the positive in their unprecedented situations.
Generally speaking, hope is a belief that a desire will be fulfilled. For students, this manifests in different ways.
For sophomore Rennen Dorsey, “hope is having a sense that everything will be okay or better, even if the outlook is bad.”
“Hope is being able to see positivity in the future, even in times when it seems impossible to,” junior Matty Barbera said. “[It means] being able to have a positive outlook and go, ‘things will get better’ rather than thinking the world can’t improve.”
Students responded that hope gives them an escape from their problems. In a world plagued by a global pandemic, students just want to return to normal life.
“Hearing that there are vaccines coming out and that there seems to be positive changes in society [gives me hope],” sophomore Vivian O’Brien said.
“I am always hopeful for getting a vaccine and Covid ending,” freshman Gracie Taylor said. For these students, their current situation dictates what they are hopeful for. Many feel hope towards other subjects as well.
“Probably the little things, like talking to friends about stuff or seeing good news [give me hope],” sophomore Josh Trang said. Having close friends in life is necessary in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, as they bring hope.
“The people I am friends with bring me hope in my everyday life because they always put me in a better mood and are positive people,” freshman Rose Aquila said.
Many students bring hope to their friends. “I just try to be the best person I can every day, lending a hand where I can and making others smile,” Wang said. “A joke, a hug, a comment, they can go a long way in making someone’s day better and helping them hope.”
Sophomore Joy Ghosh has taken his mindfulness to the next level by helping other kids who need hope in their life. “I tutor underprivileged students and that allows them to make the world even better,” he said. “When they are offered encouragement, they can aim for a better future.”
As people have socially distanced themselves as part of health guidelines, many have also emotionally distanced themselves from others, as a result of isolation. It may have become harder for students to bring hope to others in their relationships or even in their own lives.
“Since interacting with others is challenging right now, I’ve been making changes to improve my own future,” Ghosh said. Many students have hope-oriented goals so they can improve their own wellbeing and become more inspired individuals.
“I hope to improve my own wellbeing this year by doing things I enjoy and trying to get enough sleep,” sophomore Kate Hennigan said.
Many believe that they would become more mindful individuals if they focused on their hobbies and mental health.
“I hope to improve my wellbeing this year by reading more,” freshman Lauren Siegel said.
“I hope that I can get better at taking breaks when I need them instead of continuing to work. I also hope that I will make decisions based on whether they help me in the long run, not just when it’s convenient for myself in the short term,” Khan said.
Many students have been finding it difficult to keep a sense of optimism in this crazy year. With a year in isolation, it has become hard to connect with friends and inspire hope in both oneself and others. Throughout this year, students have been looking for ways to create more hope in their lives and putting away the negativity of their surroundings.
“To become more hopeful, all you have to do is create self positivity and inspiration, and to always attempt to find hope, even when it is very well hidden,” sophomore Luca Obitz said.
“We can become more hopeful individuals by being there for each other and trying to ‘look on the bright side,’” sophomore Annie Sarlin said. “As cliche as that is, finding positivity in the world can create hope.” Optimism is necessary to become a hopeful person and be a happier person overall.
“Whether it be following wholesome meme accounts on Twitter and Instagram, spending time with your friends for life, or catching up with your family, staying hopeful is something we can all do,” Barbera said. “We can better the world by bringing hope to even just one more person in our lives.”
With the continuing distribution of the Covid19 vaccines and the rapid approach of summer break, students certainly have quite a bit to be hopeful for.