I first learned about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in the sixth grade. For those who don’t know, it’s the ascending pyramid that defines the core requirements to a happy life. The basic foundation is almost totally objective: physiological needs (food, shelter, etc.) and safety needs. As you move up the pyramid, you hit the subjective requirements: love, esteem and self-actualization. It’s that last need, the very top of the pyramid, that’s stuck in my head.
Truth be told, I don’t know what self-actualization means—at least, not for me. Is it a job? Maybe. Probably not. Is it a person? A home? Who knows. To Maslow, it’s “achieving one’s full potential,” whatever that means. As I reflect on being a senior, I’m not sure if I can claim that I’ve become closer or farther from understanding my self-actualization.
Freshman year Sophie would’ve told you my life would be satisfied with an acceptance letter to an Ivy League school. Last year, I would’ve told you that as long as I can travel the world, I would be a fulfilled person. A month ago, I got the opportunity to do both when I was accepted into one of the top five schools in the country, in a program where I would spend two years studying in Ireland. The East student in me told me I had to go, but after a month of research, I decided that settling down at a liberal arts school in Connecticut that I didn’t know existed until four months ago would be better for me.
As a senior, I’ve decided what matters most to me right now is finding a place I’m comfortable with. I want a future full of new friendships and classes that truly make me excited. I don’t know if this is my form of self-actualization, and it probably isn’t. But when you’re a senior in high school, and you have a month to decide if you’re going to ship yourself to Ireland until you’re 20, it comes down to a lot more than the life plans you’ve set yourself up for at the age of 18.
I want to remind East students, especially the ones who are going into their senior year, that you have been taught many things about your personal hierarchy of needs. Maybe you think that becoming a lawyer or a Harvard grad is the key to your happy life, and maybe it is. But remember, if you’re choosing a college, you’re choosing the next four years of your life. That can be daunting, but it also can be relieving. Nothing you decide at 18 has to be set in stone. You have the rest of your life to self-actualize.
