As my senior year is at a close, quarantine has definitely given me a lot of time to reflect on my years as a Selma High School student. Never as a freshman would I believe something like this would happen in my senior year. No grad trip, prom, or even traditional graduation that I saw past students fill with overjoy from that night where they can walk across that platform.

All of that gone in an instant, one day I was stressing about getting all my homework done along with going to swim practices to the next day being filled with uncertainty. Though talk of the quarantine and how it has affected all of us is not what I want to talk about.

Rather I want to shine the spotlight on how Selma High shaped me into who I am and what I wish I knew coming into high school.

I think everyone would like to have a perfect high school experience with no mistakes or regrets, however, that just isn’t the case for most students. The regrets that students might have can always be different.

If I could go back and talk to my younger self, I would have planned ahead my classes. As a freshman, I went into all the classes I knew was going to be easy for me. I chose the fun classes rather than the classes I would need to be on track for not only graduating but also for applying to colleges. I would have done Chemistry my Sophomore year and took the opportunity to do summer school for Spanish when I was an incoming freshman.

Not only would I have been on track, but I could have had more classes I could have taken that interested me. For example, I wasn’t able to take Psychology or even try to be involved in the Clarion during my Junior year.

Along with the topic of classes, I believe every student should do classes that interest you, not your friends. If you rely on your friends alone, you won’t experience new things that you like. You’ll restrict yourself to their wants and that goes with AP (Advanced Placement) classes especially.

My first AP class was European History with Mr. Lane, which I regret taking. Nothing to do Mr. Lane, because he was a fantastic teacher, but rather it was myself. I was not ready for this class in no means. Why did I take this class then? Well, my friends were in it, so of course, I had to take it too.

After that class, I didn’t take another AP class, unless I wanted to expand my knowledge on the topic. Whether I passed or failed the test, I was happy just getting more information that I wouldn’t have gotten through a standard class.

Another string of regrets that I have are not breaking out of my shell faster and doing things outside of my comfort zone. It wasn’t until my Junior year that I did stuff on my own rather than looking towards my friend’s approval at every move I made.

There’s a point where you know how to make yourself happy. I strongly believe that’s one of the most important thing to do for yourself. People might call it selfish, but if you know what is best for you, then go for it.

The last piece of knowledge I have, is probably the most run down saying, but people do really change and most notably you change. Sometimes it’s a fast change while others slowly drag along. There is no easy fix or solution most of the time and the only way to get over it is by accepting the reality of it. Your best friend might be a completely different person by that graduation day.

It might sound cheesy, but being at Selma High School has taught me a lot more than I thought. Even though most of my time was me being sleep deprived and regretting my choices as my years went on, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. More than anything, I am proud to call myself a Selma Bear.