It feels as though I just began my senior year, when really, Thanksgiving and Christmas are quickly approaching. They say time flies when you’re having fun, but boy does time fly when you have tests to take and deadlines to meet. Along with the fun of senior year comes a lot of hard work and important decisions. It can be so stressful at times when homework piles up. You have to go to practice, you have to fill out college applications and scholarships, and on top of that, have to maintain a decent sleep schedule, which is pretty unrealistic at this point. However, I’ve found it’s important not to get too caught up in the work and have fun from time to time. Going to a football game, eating out with friends, or watching a movie with my family gets my mind off of school for a while. 

As a freshman, it seemed as though senior year would never come. Every year at graduation, I would watch as seniors walked across the podium and receive their diploma and wish so badly that it was me. I remember telling a senior friend last year, “You’re so lucky you get to graduate this year. I still have another year.” She looked at me and said, “You’re the lucky one.” She explained that she was sad to have to leave her friends and family because she would be moving away for college. She was also slightly intimidated by the challenging classes she would be taking the next year.

This really made me think. The idea of not being with my senior classmates is slowly becoming a reality. It’s crazy to imagine that graduation night will be the last time the entire senior class will be together…ever. After that night, we all go our separate ways and begin a journey that will lead us to our future degrees and careers. Suddenly, senior year doesn’t seem like something I want to rush through. I’m not leaving yet, but I know I will miss seeing my friends everyday and eating lunch with my sister. I need to cherish each moment just a little bit more because senior year only happens once.

Being a senior is also super rewarding because all you’ve worked for your entire high school career will pay off. All of the times I stayed up late working on an essay or studying for a test will be worth it when I get to graduation, when I can say that I gave it my all.