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by Audrey Inglish
Motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Two years ago, this statement terrified me. I now understand why: two years ago, the people surrounding me weren’t people I truly and deeply admired.
Upon starting my junior year of high school, I registered as a new student at NS. Today, as I prepare to graduate, my perspective has changed completely. Now, nothing makes me prouder than the thought of being like the students and teachers that I spent the last two years with.
At the beginning of my time at NS, “Real Human Connection” was just an arbitrary slogan, a few vague words that held almost no significance in my life. In the present moment, as I reflect on my high school experience, I realize what a crucial difference this “Real Human Connection” has made for me.
At NS, I found a connection to my peers that I previously didn’t think I needed. This school gave me a community, a mentor, and stronger friendships than I ever thought I’d have. Through the journalism program, I found a place and a purpose. I found a group of people willing to understand me.
My time at NS showed me what it means to find real human connection. Connection is choosing to share your human experience with the people around you. Although each human experience is unique, to be connected to others and to your community is to allow them to impact who you are and what you feel. It is striving to understand others and allowing them to understand you in return.
Connection is found in everyday interactions, from deep conversations to smiles exchanged in passing. On a personal level, connection is the love I feel for my classmates and teachers. It’s knowing that I would do anything for them and that they would do the same for me. It’s sharing their joy and their grief, their laughter and tears.
Connection isn’t a gift or talent that magically comes to a few lucky people, though I do count myself lucky to have found it. To form a connection, you have to actively search. You have to work; to be willing to make sacrifices and put aside your prejudices. It’s not easy at times, but working towards connection is what gives life a deeper meaning.
As we interview, write, and report on experiences at NS, our goal is to seek out this real human connection. Especially in a year full of restrictions and limited interaction, it’s more important than ever to us that our time and energy is dedicated to connecting community members through their unique yet shared human experiences.
As we reflect on the challenges of the past year, we at the NS Times hope that through our work, we have helped you find a connection to the NS community. Looking to the future, we hope that you continue to work for that connection. We hope that you find purpose and fulfillment as you continue to search and make sacrifices for those around you. Because without real human connection—without each other—life means so much less.
