Olivia Rodrigo Fan Scholarship

One line from Olivia Rodrigo's "GUTS" speaks to me. It's in "Teenage Dream": "They all say that it gets better, it gets better, but what if I don't?" This line shares the deep doubt that marks the teen years. It's a line that hits hard when you are not a kid nor an adult yet. You try to hold on while all feels off. For me, this line shows those times at night when I'd think if I was good enough—or if I was worth it. As teens, we hear that it will get better with time. That stress, being odd, heart pain, & being lost will all fade. But no one says how alone it feels right then. I recall the weight of needing to have it all right: school, friends, who I was, plans for later. Adults would say “you’re doing great,” as I’d fall apart with a load I didn't pick. That line shows the doubt when cheers seem like just noise. What if I'm the odd one out? What if I don't get better? In my teen years, I had fear, felt fake, & felt the push to be the pride of all. I was the one with top grades, the calm one, the kin who helped at home. But back stage, I felt lost, hiding my true self just to make it through. Olivia Rodrigo’s line talks to that me I hid. It let me feel unsure. It showed me that to be up in the air didn’t mean I was weak—it meant I was real. Being a teen is not like in films. It's full of mixed things: wanting to be on your own but still needing a hand, wanting love but scared of being open, & dreaming of what’s next while stuck now. Rodrigo gets all this in just a few words. Her line gives a voice to the fear we’re too shy to share—the fear that maybe we won’t turn out happy, full, or even okay. But there's also ease in that truth. If someone else can write that, it means they get it. It means I’m not alone in feeling that. And maybe that's the point. Maybe “it gets better” doesn't mean all turns neat or great. Maybe it means you start to bear your fears, doubts, & flaws without them crushing you. For me, that line let me drop the act. It showed me that growing up isn’t about being perfect, but about being true to you. & in that truth, there’s real might. Olivia Rodrigo’s words gave me the guts to own my mess & to trust that maybe—not fast—I will get better. & that’s enough to keep me going.