Every high school is different, from the way it runs to the type of students who attend.

No high school, no matter how professional and organized it is, can completely avoid the consequences of student interactions.

Interactions, defined in high school terms as stereotyping, are as big of an issue at Ralston Valley as it is at any other high school.

Every teenager, no matter who they are, does not deserve to be stereotyped.

Daily, I see boys and girls who get called out by my closest friends, and I can admit to doing it myself.

Nerds. Losers. Teacher’s pet. Jocks. Stoners.

These are groups of teenagers who individually have personalities that might not fit that stereotype at all.

I didn’t realize how much stereotyping can affect a person until it happened to me this past year.

Apparently, to most, I am just a blonde cheerleader, or a middle-class white girl.

Nobody knows, or cares to ask what my plans are for the future, and no fellow student makes an effort to help me succeed.

Being equal to another person, is not always a good thing. Sometimes, I want praise instead of criticism.

Just because a student isn’t at the top of his/her class doesn’t mean he/she isn’t the most ambitious.

Passion is something that runs through everyone, not just the ones fitting the role society asks.

Every teenager has a vision, and we can all relate to one another. Therefore, we shouldn’t be stereotyping because it really does have a great impact on the individual.

A comment can turn into an insult, and that insult turns into a scar on someone’s personality. A scar that doesn’t necessarily improve over time.