In media such as Glee, modern-day high school scenes play out on the screen for all to see. They reinforce our idea that cheerleaders will date the jocks, that the band geeks will eat in the band room and that the wallflowers will watch the world around them in shy awkwardness. However, in reality, these stereotypes are often completely wrong.

Sophomore Brody Christian breaks the stereotype tradition of the dumb jock by being an education enthusiast. While he is a football and baseball player, he plans on becoming a full IB student next year, which is seen as an accelerated program for dedicated students. For Christian, sports gets him active, but he plans on attending the University of Oregon because one of his greatest values is education. Due to this, he often faces difficult decisions such as abandoning his friends because of the IB track he plans to stay on.

The stereotype of football players being dumb is obviously proven wrong by Christian. While media may assume that football players do not make education a high priority, Christian sacrifices time with his friends for his studies. One day, when he was a freshman, he was asked by his friends to hang out after school. He took a good look at the price of hanging out versus a blooming future and decided to focus on his homework, instead. Christian feels time is short and that he might as well use it to build his knowledge because in the end, that will better his future.

Karla Reyna, a sophomore and Christian’s friend, looks up to him because of his focus toward his schoolwork, but he is a sensational character outside of his dedication as well. It takes a brave soul to not only turn down passing a ball around friends, but to also be who he is despite the stereotype he is facing.

In high school, some teens find it difficult to figure out who they are. It is already tough to fit into crowds of popularity without having society scream in your face about what you should be and what you should not be.  In those dramatic high school Hallmark movies, the football players are usually the ones who fit into the popularity scene easily. However, that does not have to be reality. Christian shows the importance of being yourself because he proceeds in his studies because it is valuable to him.

According to Christian, being a popular football star does not make him happier. It only adds pressure on him to be what shows like Glee have already portrayed on screen, which is not who his is. This is the reason why he wants to stand out.

When the media portrays the wrong message of creating a certain stereotype, it makes some students feel like they need to fit the media’s descriptions to please others around them. Be that as it may, Christian has learned that it is not about what other people label you as. It is about creating the best future for yourself because, in the end, it is you who will be looking back on your decisions. There is not anyone who should feel bad about themselves because they do not fit some made-up stereotype. High school is not about fitting the media’s certain stereotypes but about finding yourself in what you love. Always accept you for who you are because who you are is real.