By Jojo Sanders

High school is a very important time in a person’s life. It is like a train, with hundreds of stops and destinations. College is on the horizon, new friends are waiting to be made, relationships need to be nurtured, and we still have a family to be a part of. We are all expected to manage these things simultaneously, as well as our mental health. With only 24 hours in the day, this sometimes seems impossible.

Yet, somehow, we do it.

As a senior, the hardest thing for Chiara Catelli to spend time on is schoolwork. “The things that matter most to me during this semester are making time for family and friends who I know I will not [have] the same opportunities of seeing in the future. This chapter of my childhood is ending and I want it to end on a good note, not a regretful note,” she said.

Sounds like a serious case of senioritis, right? Well, no. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the more important aspects of life.

Joseph Capriola, a freshman, feels differently. “I need to balance my time spent online with my time spent interacting with other [real] people.” A different problem is brought up here: the endless possibilities/distractions of technology. Yes, technology can be convenient–an excellent means of communication–but what about when this is taken advantage of? Why WOULDN’T we abuse this extraordinary power called the Internet? It requires extreme self-control. Young Joseph is the voice of everyone who gets off track because they are trying to think of that perfect Facebook status, a Flappy Bird update or googling “Best Websites to procrastinate on.”

It isn’t really possible to perfectly balance all aspects of life. We have to make sacrifices, stretch ourselves thin for others, or say no. But don’t forget about who is making all this happen and give that person a little credit: you.