Peer Pressure

College and Beyond

By on June 9th, 2017

This is the twelfth post in a series by former FLVS student Makaila, a model, author, and student advocate.

Blog_Cover_June_CollegeHey FLVS teens! As you look ahead to your final year(s) of high school, the next couple of years may seem challenging. You may spend most of your time focusing on studying or on making straight As. It can be a challenge, and some days it can seem impossible.

I can assure you – it’s possible and you can do it (and if worse comes to worst, then a few Bs or even Cs may not be the end of the world).

So, what’s the next step? College.

It may seem so far away, and that’s what I thought in high school too. But it’s not. It is way closer than you think.

Before you know it, you’ll be going on college tours (try to schedule a few this summer!) and getting merchandise from schools you may not even attend in the end. I know I did. I only went on one college tour, and that was to Florida State. Turns out I wouldn’t get into Florida State, so here I am to this very day with shirts, hats, and mugs that I refuse to use. Continue reading


Be the “Good” Kid

By on April 6th, 2017

This is the tenth post in a series by former FLVS student Makaila, a model, author, and student advocate.

Blog_Peer_PressureHigh school welcomes territories that were once uncharted.

What’s crazy about the media today is that they push the likeness of drugs and drinking on shows geared for young kids, like us. It can be difficult to see things on television or on your favorite show and not wonder what they are. And if we’re going to be honest, sometimes it affects us.

We see some of our favorite celebrities drinking at a party or smoking something they shouldn’t, and we start to think it’s normal…that it is normal to drink and party the way the television portrays people of our age doing.

The line becomes blurred and people start to do things they normally wouldn’t, all because they want to fit in and be “cool.” It’s an interesting way to think about it.

The people you surround yourself with are sure to affect you in one aspect or another and only build upon these existing ideas. Peer pressure surely influences this beast. Continue reading