Emma Stanton - Year 13

“I knew that teenagers sparkled. I knew they knew something children didn’t know, and adults ended up forgetting.” A quote from Lorde, It’s simple, but it carries a powerful truth, that there’s a unique brilliance in being a teenager, a kind of knowing that often fades with age.

As teenagers, we’re in a strange space, between childhood and adulthood. People often talk about it like it’s a waiting room for the "real world." What people often forget to say is that this, right now, is just as important as anything that comes next. In some ways, it might even matter more.

See, when you’re a child, you live in a world full of wonder, but you don’t yet see the complexity of people, of choices, of pain and growth. When you’re an adult, you gain knowledge, yes, but many also lose something along the way. They forget how to feel things deeply. They forget what it means to dream boldly. They forget what it’s like to believe that things can be better,and that they can make them better.

But us? We’re in this moment where we see the world clearly and feel it deeply. We notice when things are unfair and we want to change it. When we feel joy, it’s genuine and powerful. We still believe that love should be real and that friendships should last. We feel things deeply, not because we're overly sensitive, but because we care. And that’s not a flaw, it’s a strength.

That’s what the quote means by ‘sparkle.’ It’s not about perfection and having everything figured out. It’s about the curiosity to ask hard questions, the courage to keep hoping, and the willingness to care, even when things feel uncertain or overwhelming.

As we grow, many people get tired. Life piles up. We start to play it safe, to choose what’s easy instead of what’s true to themselves. But right now, you still carry something rare: the courage to care. To care deeply about who you are, who others are, and the kind of world we live in.

So my challenge to you is this: Don’t lose your sparkle. Don’t shrink your dreams to fit into someone else’s idea of “realistic” or “normal.” Don’t trade in your voice for silence just to make things easier. Don’t stop feeling, questioning, imagining, or growing.

We can be the generation that remembers what others forgot. The one that holds onto compassion, to curiosity, to conviction. The one that doesn’t just see the world, but dares to change it.

Teenagers don’t shine because life is easy or perfect, we shine through the hard things. Through pressure, uncertainty, and disappointment, we hold onto the belief that things can improve, and that through our own unique strength and sparkle, we have the power to make a difference.