In the spirit of St. Patrick’s, luck is all around in the form of Leprechauns and 4-leafed clovers. The recent rise in the popularity of luck has sparked controversy among East students. While some believe luck can change the outcome of any situation, others feel it is owed to hard work and dedication. 

Junior at East, Gabi Tenney, is an avid believer that luck can affect someone’s life, however, some achievements are owed to hard work. 

“I believe in luck. I think some things happen out of luck and not always coincidence. I also believe it has played a role in my life. Though it can be beneficial in certain situations, I think not everything someone accomplishes should be brushed off as luck,” Tenney said. 

On the other side of the argument, it can be seen that the ups and downs people face are just seen as everyday life. 

Allison Eldredge, a Junior at East, has a different take on luck and its effect.

“I do not believe in luck because I believe that good and bad things happen to everyone, so a person can’t have more or less luck than someone else,” Eldredge said. 

It is not only people’s ideas on luck that vary, but also their definitions. Some may define luck as a good coincidence, whereas others believe it to be how much fortune and goodness you have in your life. 

Another Junior at East, Tess Richards, has an Irish background and believes in luck, but only to a certain extent. 

“I believe in luck, but to me, luck is very circumstantial,” Richards said. “For example, I think if I find a dollar bill on the floor, I’m lucky. But if I ace a test, that is because of the knowledge I attained from the lecture.” 

Opinions on how luck can be portrayed in one’s life can appear in a multitude of ways. 

“I would define luck as a result brought upon by chance. One example of luck influencing the outcome is when a window shattered on my brother, but he was okay,” Eldredge said. 

Students’ varied opinions on how luck affects one’s life continue the argument of whether or not things should be attributed to luck. While some say that it is important to value accomplishments rather than attribute them to luck, others argue that if something truly is a good coincidence, then it should be celebrated as so. 

“I think hard work plays a bigger role in success than luck does because hard work can take you much farther in life in the long run than chances or coincidences can.  I don’t think people can create their luck, but hard work could influence the outcome of their situation,” Eldredge said. 

Offering the alternative perspective, Richards believes in the importance of balance between the two. 

“I think that it can be okay to brush something off as luck, but it is also important to honor things, hard work, and the effort you put in,” Richards said.

The uproar of luck from canvas prints with sayings like “I’m lucky” or “Lucky me” and the upcoming Irish holiday poses the question: Do you believe in luck?

Written by Juniors Syeda Zaidi and Gabriella Maza. Edited by staff writers for Oswego East’s online news magazine The Howl.