Senior Caleb Bigler focused his talk on how he believes the public school system too often stifles creativity and forces students to learn about subjects that are not relevant to their own interests and goals.

“It’s about how our current education system in America kills creativity and beyond that, how it interferes with what you can do. It’s about finding your passion, about waking up each morning and doing what you love. You know, if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” he said.

For Bigler, that passion is music. Originally, he felt like everyone expected him to do music as his topic, but he ultimately decided that he wanted his Dragon Talk to be about the drive that music has given him and how personal goals aren’t always supported by the current school system.

“I wanted to help others find their passion. If you know what you love and you want it, you first have to find it. I know mine, I know what my passion is, that’s why I’m such a happy person,” he said. “I’m not one to boast about my accomplishments or blab about music. I wanted to talk about what music has done for me and help others achieve that. I love when people are in their element, and I want to do whatever I can to help them achieve that.”

While he feels like he covered most everything he wanted to in his talk, there is still much more he could have added in if he had extra time.

“When I first started, the talk was 15-16 minutes long, but I shaved it down,” Bigler said. “I still feel like I covered everything. If I had more time, I would have focused more on the how, the what, where we go from here.”

He wanted people to realize that they don’t have to let anything or anyone hold them back from their own goals.

“Life is not linear. We as humans can’t let our pasts dictate our futures. We’re often afraid to find our passion because we’re afraid of something in our past,” he said. “Money does not equal happiness and wealth does not equal well-being. Once you realize that, it’s much easier to find your passion.”

Bigler said that the key is to face your fears.

“We’re afraid of what others might think. People will say that you can’t do art or music, they say you won’t make enough money, but you have to get past that,” he said.

Bigler believes that following your passion is the best path, and even if it is difficult or scary, he hopes to inspire others to follow their passions like he follows his.

“It’s about having an open mind. It takes courage to know exactly what you want. You just have to take that extra leap.”

Background Photo Credit: Aysen Tan/The Foothill Dragon Press