Northern Virginia, Springfield included, frequently gets a bad rap from teens.

In our limited experience high school is the most stressful thing many of us have known. Granted, part of what causes so much stress is the environment we live in. We live in an area that encourages students to not only be their best, but to be better than their best. At least that’s what it feels like sometimes.

When you compare our school system to others, however; you’ll see that, per student, Fairfax County spends over $12,000 per student, according to the US Census Bureau. The chance to be a product of FCPS offers exposure to a high caliber of teachers and opportunities and we have been receiving exceptional educations.

Those that claim there isn’t anything to do in Northern Virginia haven’t tried very hard. Our prime location offers a wealth of opportunities and experiences if we just take advantage of them. If you don’t feel like spending a whole lot of money you can take a trip to all the free monuments, the zoo, and in the springtime, the cherry blossoms. DC provides a perfect backdrop for Insta worthy pictures as well. You’ll snap so many pictures with your friends that you’ll never have to search long for the perfect throwback Thursday picture ever again.

The area has something for everyone. There are museums for history, art, and science buffs (as well as the First Ladies’ dresses exhibit at the museum of American History for the fashion/pop culture junkies). If you’re into theatre, DC has a great theatre scene and plenty of plays. If you love music, plenty of artists come to the city and surrounding areas for concerts. There’s practically a constant stream of artists making a location near us the next stop on their tour.

A lot of the whiners will tell you that they can’t wait until the day that they can walk across the stage at the Patriot Center, grab their diploma, and never look back. The funny thing is though; most of them will leave the “small” town of Springfield to attend a university in the middle of nowhere that probably has its own farm.

No place is perfect, but I’m a firm believer that a lot of what a person will get out of her experience reflects what he or she puts in. Who knows, maybe when this area is nothing more than a receding image in your rear view mirror, you’ll look back on it and remember all the great opportunities and fun times you had.