Joshua Hester-Hot Sauce Josh
To preface, I want to thank all of my teachers and friends as well as everyone who made my Catholic High experience what it was. And what it was, was a stepping stone. They were four formative years, which have turned me from a 5’3, 100-pound freshman, to the man I am today. My time here has taught me many things. They have taught me friendship, the value of hard work and that dumb actions lead to you dancing in front of the upperclassmen at lunch as a punishment. But the most important thing I have learned is how to pick yourself up and keep working.
All my life I have struggled to find something to be “my thing.” I am no gifted athlete, student, or even writer. I played basketball for many years of my childhood and to this day I don’t understand why I’m bad. I played soccer for a long time but I ultimately outgrew it. My freshman and sophomore year I blew off school and didn’t put in the effort it took to excel. Honestly, during my first three years of high school, I just couldn’t find my place.
At the end of my junior year, I applied to be on the yearbook squad as a senior. I was fortunate enough to be selected for the class. I soon realized that yearbook was something that I enjoyed doing. It was fun and came easily to me.
My senior year I am making better grades than I have in any of my previous three years. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, in his notes on The Last Tycoon, that “there are no second acts in American lives,” meaning that there are no second chances. This may hold true past high school, but for me, my senior year was my second act. I was able to find something that I enjoyed working hard for and that led me to work hard in my other classes. If you’re like me and just cannot find the thing for you, keep looking. I have always been told that Catholic High has something for everyone if you look hard enough, and for me, no truer words have ever been spoken.
Above: Hester overlooking Florence on the annual Europe trip.
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