Rather than studying, my freshman and sophomore years were spent flipping through the glossy pages of Vogue, avidly watching every Alexander Wang runway show, and emulating the artistic styles of Karl Lagerfeld. Instead of memorizing the parts of a microscope, I memorized names of supermodels. In lieu of writing essays, I learned to sew. I dreamed of someday reading my name printed in big, bold letters on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. But as many high school students have come to realize, dreams change.

I managed to convince myself that fashion designers don’t need good grades, they just need to know the fundamentals of the fashion world. So that is what I focused on. My parents knew better than their fifteen-year-old daughter, though, and they tried desperately to get me to spend more time on my school work. They hired a tutor, grounded me, and took away my most coveted possessions. But I resisted: “No, Mom, I swear I’ll be famous some day, and getting good grades won’t help me get there!” Fifteen-year-old me thought she knew everything.

Well, as an essential part of teenage life, I eventually recognized that my dream was just a phase. Great. Now what do I do? I’m almost half way through my junior year and I’ve just spent the better part of my high school career blowing off school work and some other major priorities. How in the world am I supposed to get myself back on track?

Focus, Alyssa, you need to focus on school. Do your homework. Pay attention in class. Study. Slowly, the sewing sessions became a weekend hobby, the fashion magazines took their rightful place as bathroom reading material, and the avid passion fizzled out and took the form of newfound study habits.

I’m not going to say it was easy. Forcing myself into routines that I had neglected for the past two-and-a-half years doesn’t exactly come as second nature. Although my energy is fixated on school, that tiny fashionista still resides within me, supporting my new interests and passions, rooting me on: “Hey, you’ve made it this far, you can keep going!” Well, that’s just what I’m going to do.