Deena Abuzeid

Senior Deena Abuzeid had the most fun going on adventures and field trips with her friends in high school. She enjoyed all of the football games and spirit weeks.

Entering freshman year having gone to a different middle school than most of her classmates was a challenge for Abuzeid, but through encouragement from friends, she joined activities and became more involved.

“Ever since then, I was comfortable trying out new things and doing [activities] after school. As a freshman, I wish someone would have told me that it’s okay to be you and not try to fit in with others. Later it hurt me not being able to be myself and who I want to be,” Abuzeid said.

As schools and businesses shut down due to COVID-19, Abuzeid decided to make the most of her newfound free time to find herself and her core beliefs. 

“I changed so much from how I look at the world and how I look at myself. You can’t make everyone happy, no one else is living your life but you. Loving yourself is important [along with] being who you want to be no matter what anyone says. It’s so hard but it gets easier because you need to learn to love yourself for who you are,” Abuzeid said. “If I had a chance to give any advice to my freshman self, it would be to love yourself, don’t let people use your kindness and focus on school but still have fun.”