When my friends randomly said “just give me my money” and had their phones out ready to record their responses, I quickly realized that they were referencing another TikTok trend to which I was oblivious. Of course, my friends knew I wouldn’t know the trend because it is embarrassingly well known at LHS that I have never had any social media. In middle school, I only saw the negatives of not having social media. I saw friends gaining “followers” and receiving “likes”, and I envied them. When I entered high school, I realized that not having social media was actually a benefit, not a hinderance. I saw the stress and social anxiety my friends experienced from their social media activity. Using social media to connect was actually preventing them from connecting. When a racially insensitive video was shared around my soccer team, it caused a rift within our team. I was able to avoid the conflict and maintain my relationships with teammates because I didn’t have social media and I did not even see the hurtful video. I realized how my peers and I connected more effectively in settings when we didn’t have access to our phones. For example, on my trips to Guatemala, we built houses, painted schools, connected and created authentic friendships. When I took that “Guatemala” mindset back home, I started to value my social-media-free choice even more. Participating in 5 sports every year of my high school career helped me connect with a diverse group of students without relying on social media. Connections formed through running in the rain, hard workouts in the heat, 6 am swim practices, triumphant wins, and tough losses are far more meaningful than another “follow” or “snap”. Participating in sports has a special way of connecting people, but I also found that cheering others on has the same effect. Whether I am gathering people to watch my fellow runners or recruiting people to go games, connections are built when we cheer together. As one of 12 students selected for pep club, I lead the student section not only at the football games, but also at less popular activities and sporting events. As I build LHS Rams spirit, I help younger students connect to what we call our “Ramily”. I also invest in making in-person connections with those outside my school community without social media. I lead a small group at my church where I coordinate games and lead the small group time. I also served at “Night to Shine” which is a Prom for individuals with disabilities. I connected with my non-verbal buddy, Isaiah, through eye-contact, facial expressions, and plenty of dancing. I have benefited individually from never having social media as well. Instead of scrolling my phone before I go to bed, I developed a love of reading that calms my nerves and grew my curiosity in various historical time periods and topics. I enjoy a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books, including A History of Modern Day Finance, which chronicles the history of J.P Morgan bank and how it influenced the United States financial system. Reflecting on my high school experience has reinforced my choice to avoid social media. I grew from envying friends with social media to helping them resist the temptation to isolate online and instead prioritize becoming involved. I am excited to actively participate in my college community and encourage others to do the same. Even though I will continue to endure the occasional embarrassment of learning the hard way about the newest TikTok trend like saying “Just Give Me my money” in different accents.