I attended a luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 12 with assistant principal Donna Besser and Student Council adviser Miriya Julian to honor the student representatives that were selected last month at the Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum. After receiving four awards that thanked me for my contribution to the forum, I realized that all of my hard work lead to this moment.

Although I do more than what is expected of me, that does not mean my time is being wasted.

If I wasn’t committed to the work that I do in Journalism, I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to attend last month’s conference. If I didn’t take notes on my room’s discussion or express my ideas and opinions at the forum, I wouldn’t have won room representative.

My hard work has taken me further than I ever expected, and I mean that for all of my accomplishments–not just the ones I’ve achieved in Journalism. I was promoted to K-pop club vice president, participated in Girls in Tech and my grades have improved greatly–all within the span of four months.

There are times when I get criticized by my peers for working hard. While most people are supportive of my work, some call me an overachiever with a bite in their tone, like going above the standard is bad.

Although I do more than what is expected of me, that does not mean my time is being wasted. Progressiveness does not just mean losing sleep due to long hours of work–it’s knowing your personal weaknesses and learning how to overcome them through your strengths.

Success is not achievable overnight, and you need to put in the work to achieve your dreams. If you are an overachiever but too afraid to admit it, don’t be. Embrace the hard work you do and be proud of yourself. Your hard work will take you far in life–believe me.