Since I was a young girl, I had always dreamed of having the perfect high school experience. I had it all planned out, or so I thought. Many things happen unexpectedly throughout our lives and high school definitely kept me on my toes, which I’m somewhat grateful for. I faced many new challenges that shaped me into the woman I am today and boy did senior year especially take me by surprise. 

Transitioning from in person to distance learning was difficult and I lacked a lot of motivation and couldn’t seem to see things on the bright side. Though with time I was able to finally appreciate the fact that I still had a senior year and even got to come back in person for a month or two. I made sure to cherish every moment I spent on campus with my friends and teachers as these would be my last few weeks. Senior year made me think a lot about what I should’ve appreciated about school over the years. If I could go back in time and give advice to my freshman self, I definitely would. 

I thought that I’d breeze through high school, but it was much more of a challenge than I imagined. Throughout my high school years, I spent so much time stressing about many things like my grades and sports that I often forgot to take time for myself. Prioritizing one’s mental and physical health is always important. I soon accepted that my achievements don’t define who I am or what I completed in high school, but what I learned and persevered through did. Of course high school isn’t all that bad and provided me with many great opportunities along the way. I met so many amazing people that I could not have done this without. I’m also thankful for my teachers who never gave up on me even when I felt ready to give up. My friends, teachers, and family all pushed me to be a better person each and every year and I admire them for that. But I’m also proud of myself for working so hard these past four years and completing such a big milestone in my life.

Now this isn’t the end of my journey; actually I’m far from done. I still have so much to look forward to in my future and my path is just getting started. If I could summarize high school into a few words it would be, an experience that I’m thankful for and growing from.