With a new semester beginning, many of us have promised ourselves “this semester, I’ll work really hard to get a good GPA.” Of course, working your hardest to get the best grades you can is very important. But then why is it that we begin to let our GPAs define who we are as people?

Some people tell themselves that they are a failure just because their GPA isn’t “good enough,” or they think that others who have higher GPAs are better than them. We put students who have 4.0 GPA on pedestals, while those who don’t have perfect grades sometimes see themselves as “dumb,” or think that they haven’t worked hard enough during the school year. Then when it comes to taking tests or writing papers, anything less than an A is never good enough.

As a school, what we need to realize is that your GPA is not who you are. Grades are often only indicators of how well you memorize facts and comprehend information put in front of you. If this isn’t your strong suit, it doesn’t make you dumb or not smart enough to learn. It may just mean that memorization isn’t one of your strengths. As humans, we all have different strengths, many of which can’t be measured by a GPA, such as effort, creativity and collaboration skills.

Beside this, we are all humans, and humans go through ups and downs in life. We cannot control what happens to us, and sometimes when bad things happen, it can affect our school work and lower our GPAs. But when times are tough, it doesn’t change how smart we are or what defines us, and it is okay if your GPA goes down a little bit when life gets hard.

“We are worth much more than a number,” said junior Zoe Fish. “Even if your GPA is low, it does not make you less capable of being successful and happy.”