The Other Worry

At Exeter, students are offered a wide range of opportunities to pursue their passions, whether it be a sport, an instrument or an academic interest. Students are constantly finding new ways to explore and find out what they love to do. That said, it is sometimes exaggerated how “safe” we are to pursue our careers of choice. On MLK Day, Lorene Cary spoke about how she did not fear for the young adults at our school because she has no doubt that we will be successful. She went on to say, however, that she did worry about children at schools with less fortune and advantage. This brings up the question: Can she be so sure of our inevitable and easy success? Can we be sure?A common stereotype is that prep schools consist mostly of extremely wealthy children from privileged families. From that assumption, one can easily be led to the conclusion that a student at PEA might not worry about money. Maybe such a child would pursue a risky career, such as one in the arts without a second thought. If he or she were to fall into financial trouble, that person would lean back onto the pillows of inheritance.Contrary to this belief, about half of Exeter students are on financial aid, and there are those who might be scraping up just enough money to stay in school. Of course, there are some with considerable wealth, but these students exist in many schools and are the exception rather than the rule.Because of our environment of encouragement and attitude towards possibility, some might find it hard to believe that a student at Exeter would have to choose between passion and safety. On the surface, it seems that we do not have to witness that darker side of society, the “real world,” where making money is the goal and the competition is cutthroat, but the hardships are there, as in every community. It is still a prominent and maddening worry among teenagers here, who are trying to make life-changing decisions at too early a time. It is laid out in our minds like this: the activities you focus on in high school will be the ones you focus on in college, so you will be the best at a certain career when it is what you depend on for money. Everything seems to be rushing up to us at hyperspeed, ready to hit us with rent bills and taxes, and we have to rack our brains, trying to battle with our consciences in order to decide whether we want to pay those bills or love what we do.Lorene Cary was right to worry for the children of which she spoke, and at Exeter, there is certainly a beautiful array of opened doors calling our names. While being given an unbelievable chance to prepare ourselves for adulthood in one of the best high schools in the country is highly appreciated, it comes with a heavy toll. The feeling that so much money is being spent by loving parents to invest in our futures is what makes our hearts hesitate. What if we are making a choice—by choosing this club over another, by taking a less advanced class, by focusing more on sports than education—that will lead us down a path deprived of prosperity? How does one measure the worth of what we think we love enough to risk our futures? Compare it to a career with guaranteed payback for hard work, and the gameboard starts to get foggy.At a place like Exeter, the chances for success are considered to be higher. Flourishing alumni make names for themselves in the world constantly, but do those alumni have regrets? Do they consider themselves successful?We here at PEA have been dealt great cards, but we can still make a wrong move at any time, and for us, there seems to be a lot at stake. 