As high schoolers, most students anticipate an unknown path for their future and set goals for their career. Whether the next step is college, the workforce or maybe even a break from school, a common desire is the ability to find success. 

For senior David Tulkop, he said he believes success is finding happiness. According to Business Insider, a business and financial news website, 90 percent of Americans agree with Tulkop and believe happiness is the most important key to success.

Overtime, the definition of “success” has shifted dramatically. Mostly depending on the person, success has most stereotypically been correlated to monetary wealth and fame. However, according to the website Success, the idea that success is setting goals for yourself is reemerging into the public. 

For Tulkop, his plans consist of becoming a physical therapist and going to college to further his education in this profession.

“I will study hard and graduate with a biology of exercise science major,” Tulkop said. “In ten years, I would like to have my own physical therapy license and practice.”

Senior Sarah Snyder has chosen to follow a similar route, as she plans to attend Ohio State University to pursue a degree in neurosurgery and delve into research or become a doctor. She said to achieve these goals, she plans to go to college and get involved in more research.

“What I would like to achieve in 10 years is be working on some kind of research, maybe clinical trials, and hopefully have a family,” Snyder said. 

Snyder said she defines success as following her passions and achieving the goals that she has set for herself. She also agrees that happiness is a large factor in being successful. 

According to the website Success, in order to achieve success, having a goal and being motivated enough to stick to it is a large factor in accomplishing success. Although there are different interpretations of success, most people agree that to have satisfying results, hardwork and determination is key.

Snyder and Tulkop both agree with this statement despite having differing views of the term.

Snyder said she wishes to work hard in college in order to achieve her goals of becoming a useful person in science while Tulkop said he will do the same. Although they have different career paths in mind, both said they desire to make a lasting impact with their work.

Although Tulkop believes that happiness is key, overall, he said success is mostly defined by person to person as not everybody is the same and each individual has their own standards and wants.

According to Business Insider, even if happiness was the true definition of success, people find happiness from different sources and avenues, so success would still be distinct to each individual. Although happiness is a significant piece to success, Business Insider states that without a goal or passion in mind, it would be difficult to achieve success as the public may influence an individuals definition.

Snyder said she thinks no matter where a person goes, if they try their hardest and achieve their goals, they will most likely be successful.

“There are obviously different interpretations of the term but I would just say to work as hard as you can and bring your best effort to the table, that would already be a big step towards success.”