Half- Full

When you first begin high school, you are told to work hard and your senior year will pay off. You look forward to all the senior activists you get to partake in, such as the senior trip, prom, senior checkout day, and graduation. Being able to enjoy the last couple of months you’d have with your high school friends before moving onto young adulthood.

This year though, is completely different from any other senior year. Instead of walking into first period on my last first day of school, I instead woke up, opened my laptop and logged into Zoom. Instead of reuniting with all my friends for lunch, I spent lunch recognizing the fact that I was at home for school. It is extremely off putting that my senior year is nothing like what I was told it would be. 

It is almost a bit disheartening to come to terms with the fact that I won’t get the senior year I pictured. Of course, there’s the understanding part of me that is aware of the pandemic that has plagued the nation and world, but as many others would agree, we wish things were different to the storyline we’re stuck with. 

This time of year is especially stressful for seniors, but even more so now that we’re in a pandemic. College preparations such as applications and scholarships bring anxiety and stress since for many of us, is our first step into young adulthood. 

The process of applying is already stressful as it is and the uncertainty the pandemic has brought upon students just makes it even more difficult. There may be some students who are first in their family to go to college so they have no clue how to apply. 

Easing into the next steps of becoming less dependent also includes applying for jobs, and for many of us will be our first. It is especially nerve racking since our parents and teachers can’t hold our hand along the way, merely loosening the grip as we go. 

This is all a new territory for most and as the time goes by, we begin to work out all the kinks to everything, but there is still much left unknown that we have to work out along the way. 

One thing that has stayed true during highschool, at least for me, is that everything works out in the end. No matter how much work is due the next day, how tired you may be, or even how stressful things may get, you”ll live to see another day. 

I believe we should try to see the cup half full rather than half empty, and not let senioritis or this pandemic get the best of us. We must remind ourselves of the good things, big or small and continue to push through these hard times.