Standing center stage at the high school talent show his junior year, Justin Lyle steps up to the microphone and begins to sing.
“You know a dream is like a river, ever changin’ as it flows, and a dreamer’s just a vessel, that must follow where I go” — the start to “The River” by Garth Brooks — echoed through the auditorium. While it takes courage for anyone to sing in front of a crowd, Lyle’s performance was extra anxiety-ridden, as it was his first time singing for an audience.
“I can’t sing,” he said. “I’m not a big singer, but I decided to sing in the talent show anyway, for the sole experience of trying something I’ve never done.”
The Dowagiac teen was encouraged to sing in the talent show by one of his teachers, Dustin Cornelius, after singing along to a “High School Musical” track after taking the SATs.
“I was just messing around, but Corn convinced me to give it a shot,” he said. “Now he calls me Troy Bolton, like the guy in ‘High School Musical.’”
Lyle’s high school career is filled with memories like these. While participating in a class project his sophomore year, Lyle had a revelation that changed his high school experience.
“We started doing these skits in one of my classes,” he said, explaining how for some, it was uncomfortable to be silly and act out the skits. “I kind of realized if you have fun and enjoy what you do, the judgment that other people give you won’t matter.”
Since then, Lyle said he has made a habit of stepping out of his comfort zone, always focused on trying new things and meeting new people. For example, at lunch each day, he makes a point to sit with someone new.
“There are a lot of people who sit by themselves, so my friends and I will move from table to table talking to people,” he said. “We try to find time to talk to them, and make them feel less lonely.”
Lyle said that oftentimes, it can be difficult to fit in in high school, but he has learned not to pay too much attention to what other people think.
“I think people don’t want to lose their comfort zone,” he said. “I make friends with people who won’t judge me if I’m with my normal group of friends, or if I’m making new friends.”
In addition to going out of his way to try new things, Lyle has piled on extracurricular activities during his time at Dowagiac. He is a three-sport athlete — captain of the football and wrestling teams, and a member of the track and field team.
“I’m also the president of my National Honor Society chapter, and I’m the president of my Rotary Interact Club,” he said.
Lyle is also the treasurer for the Chieftain Heart, Dowagiac’s spirit squad, and the class president for student senate.
“I like to see positive change,” he said. “I like to see things — organizations or people in general — thrive and succeed at whatever they are working to succeed in.”
Lyle also volunteers regularly, teaching Sunday School at Holy Maternity of Mary Church in Dowagiac, and serving meals and helping with the food pantry at St. Paul’s  Episcopal Church.
In spite of his busy schedule, Lyle
has managed to maintain a 4.0 grade point average at Dowagiac High School.
“It took a lot of late nights and a lot of support from those around me,” he said of how he managed to stay on top of his grades with so many other activities. “It’s not all work by myself.”

Photo provided