We’ve all taken a risk. It’s something every person has experienced. According to the New York Post, 14 is the riskiest age for a teenager. Peer pressure, embarrassment from parents, more creativity and of course, puberty can be another reason for the decisions we make, which leads to either good or bad conclusions. Teenagers tend to take certain risks that are either terrible choices or mature ones. Healthy risk taking can lead to increased responsibility and new skills, as well as learning who you are and having new experiences. However, bad risk-taking can lead to the opposite.

One bad risk that a lot of students take is skipping. “One of the things that I see with skipping class is students are missing work that is going on at that current time. It really messes you up academically. Students tend to fall behind when they skip. Another reason why skipping is bad is that you’re breaking up a relationship that you have with a teacher. The worst part about skipping is the students’ safety. We don’t know what could happen to them when they’re off campus.” said Larry Gilligan, the attendance officer here at Osbourn. Most students don’t know the effects of skipping class. The biggest consequence of skipping is ending up in court for truancy.

“When I quit the basketball team my junior year, I was in a really bad mindset and wasn’t getting much playing time. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. This year I came back and I proved to the coach that I am worthy of being on the team. I’ve seen a lot of improvement, and I’ve been getting more playing time. Playing basketball has also helped me academically with staying on top of school” said senior Aylani Ruiz.

We have all experienced something having to do with risk taking. Trying something new, trying out for a team. All took a leap of faith and created change for themselves and they learned something new about different experiences. Looking back on certain things you’ve done, especially risky things, may lead you to think you either made the wrong or right decision. Whichever one you think, the risk is doing its job. Shaping you into the person you are, the person you want to be, and the person you will be.  

“The risk of not taking the risk is that if you don’t take that risk you will never know what could happen.” said Aylani Ruiz. People should always take a leap of faith when they have a chance. You may have the chance to take a leap of faith but you also have to think about the effects of taking the risk and if you’re ready to handle any responsibilities you might gain.