Olivia V.
MyLife 24-7 Ambassador

My high school is a pretty decorated place—literally. The hallways, walls, even bathroom stalls are adorned with handmade flyers that students and teachers have tacked up. When the head of Harvard-Westlake School stressed the importance character at the beginning of last year, there was an almost instantaneous change of “wallpaper” around school.

She talked about how we should all choose “the hard right, not the easy wrong,” which became the theme of all new flyers. Some flyers were decorated with green lights and red lights, while on others there were grades, A+’s down to F’s. At the time I thought they were a little uninspired. But upon reflection, I realized that this was the most important lesson I learned (or re-learned) this year.

Every single day, we are faced with hard rights and easy wrongs. Some situations are more clear-cut than others, but for the most part, they fall in that nondescript gray area that is everyday life. From the moment I wake to the second I turn off the last light in the house, I have to make choices. If I run a stop sign, but see that there’s no cop, does that make it okay? If I cheat, but promise not to tell anyone, does that make it okay?

Our choices define who we are, and through choosing the hard right we become better people. For my part, I always make a full stop and I do my own work.