Will Grady is a DePaul Prep senior who has been involved in many school activities such as the Speech Team and the Theater Society. In addition, he was also a Kairos leader this year and really “loved leading Kairos. It was amazing,” said Grady.

In the second issues of the Ram Page’s advice column, Will Grady is here to help you out with your questions and advice:

How do I be a reckless teenager?

I think the best way to start is to care less about what other people think about you and start focusing on your own happiness.

I’m normally a pretty confident person, but I’ve been feeling very insecure lately. Any advice on how to get my aura back?

Make a distinct and bold choice. It’s kind of obvious the choice I have made with my appearance to make myself more confident. It’s the mullet, but for you, it can be whatever you decide. if you’re thinking, “you know what? Today I’m going to go without makeup,” Go no makeup that day. If you decide, “I’m going to get a new color of glasses,” go for it. If you want to try wearing a fleece or not wearing a fleece, try that too. Fitness is also a great way to gain back some more confidence.

What is the best way to avoid procrastination?

It’s different for everyone. I feel like music works for a lot of people, but the best way to do it is to just find a good environment. It depends if some people work well in loud spaces, like out in public. Some people work best when it’s completely silent. Just find what works best for you. It might take a while, but you’ll get it. Personally, I like quiet spaces and my own music.

How do I understand Will Grady? You are such an interesting human being.

Talk to me. By talking to me, you can understand and get to know me. Whoever it is, I’d love to talk to you. You can pick me out of a crowd in the commons. Just come find me and strike up a conversation. I’ll talk to you.

I struggle with tests, rather than quizzes. I always get 100% on quizzes but when I get to a test for classes I never do well. Is there any advice within studying for example Math or a Language class?

The annoying part about tests is that there’s not a whole lot you can do about testing anxiety. The main thing I would advise is to try to be more confident, which is a very difficult thing to do. If you tell yourself that you’ve got this, it’s a lot easier to go out and do it. The best way to become more confident is through studying the night before, when it feels recent, you’re going to feel like you do better.

I really want to go to college across the country, but my parents want me to stay in the Midwest. Any ideas on how I can convince them to go to my dream school even if it’s not their favorite?

I like that question. Try to convince them that you’re mature enough to be independent. I think a big reason why they probably don’t want you to do that is that you’re their kid. They don’t want you to go away because they’re afraid that you’ll be in danger. Once you convince them that you are mature enough to leave and that you will stay in contact with them, you’ll text them and call them, then that connection can still be there, and they’ll know that you’re safe.

What is one thing I should do before I graduate?

It’s really easy to get stuck in friend groups, so I would advise finding someone that has nothing to do at all with your friend group, or find a new group of people and start making friends outside of that group that you’ve had since earlier in high school. I have done this and I’m very happy about it. I don’t know for sure if I’ll keep any of my friends through college. I’d sure like to. You never know what’s going to happen in the future. I cherish the relationships I have with my friends now, but they’ll end when they end, and I have confidence that I’ll make better relationships in the future by strengthening the ones I have now.