I Was Not the Cool Girl in High School

I was not the cool girl in high school.

If I am being honest, high school was not very pleasant for me. I had perfect attendance from 8th grade through 12th grade, but that does not mean I loved it. I showed up every single day, but I could not wait to be done.

There was friend drama.
There was boy drama.
There were all the emotional highs and lows that come with being a teenager trying to figure out who you are.

I treated high school more like a social club than anything else. If you pulled out my old report cards, I am almost certain you would see “talks too much” written more than once. I was there. I was present. I was involved. But I was also navigating insecurity, comparison, and all the noise that fills those hallways.

At the end of 10th grade, everything shifted.

I lost a friend in a car accident.

Grief changes you. It forces perspective in a way nothing else can. Suddenly, the small things did not feel so small anymore. High school still had its challenges, but life felt heavier and more fragile.

Things started to get better in 11th grade when I began dating my now husband, Mark. He became steady ground in a season that had felt shaky. There was comfort in having someone who truly knew me and cared about who I was becoming.

I also did work release during 11th and 12th grade, which meant I skipped a lot of the traditional high school experience. Pep rallies. Big school events. Some of the things that people say are the “best days of your life.”

I missed many of them.

And yet, I survived.

More than that, I grew.

High school did not define me. The drama did not define me. The grief did not define me. The awkwardness and the talking too much and the trying to find my place did not define me.

What did shape me was walking through it.

I share this because I think it is a big part of why I care so deeply about the seniors I photograph.

When I work with seniors, I do not just see outfits and locations and golden hour light. I see young women and men standing right in the middle of a season that can feel overwhelming. I remember what it felt like to count down the days. I remember the pressure. I remember the comparison. I remember wanting so badly to be on the other side of it.

And I also remember that I made it.

That is why my door is always open.

Not just for session planning or outfit advice. Not just for picking locations. But for real conversations. For encouragement. For a listening ear. For reminding them that whatever they are walking through right now is not the end of their story.

You can survive high school.
You can grow through high school.
You can come out stronger on the other side.

I am living proof.

If you are one of my seniors reading this, hear me clearly. You matter more than the drama. You are more than the rumors. You are more than the bad day, the hard class, the breakup, or the disappointment.

And if you ever need someone in your corner, I am here.