From the senior columns that have graced my reading eyes, most talk about how much they have grown and lessons being a student here at Selma High have taught them. You’re probably reading this and guessing mine will follow that criteria, right? To be fair, I’m not totally positive I’ve changed or learned much within these last four years.
Becoming the magical age of 18 doesn’t even feel like an actual age to me. I sometimes even forget I’m legally an adult now. I don’t feel any more mature than 17, 16, or 15, and the number list goes on. I’m truly convinced the more that I age, the more childish I get. I still enjoy and do things most would deem as “childish.” I still like coloring books. The number of coloring books I have in my Amazon cart is not alright. I still like to binge watch “My Little Pony” and I still go into the deep web to try to find any Shopkins packages to buy (if you know a good place please lmk).
There are aspects of me that would be deemed as “adult.” I have a job and make my own money, and I do NOT like that aspect now. Besides my job, I get to vote this year! How exciting is that? Mr. Johnson would be jumping in his seat. Although I would like to place an exact timestamp on when I will be deemed “mature,” unfortunately I simply don’t know it will come, just not by the time I walk the stage.
As I’m typing this I just have to add this small segment. Through the past four years, there is one thing I wish I did. I wish I had romanticized my high school years the MOMENT I stepped onto campus and gained the achievement of “freshman.”
Like, HELLO?? I swear my freshman year — actually no, all of my years throughout high school would have been more enjoyable if I actually was like those aesthetic academic pictures on Pinterest. I’m not even lying when I said I made a board on my Pinterest with the pretty note taking and colorful expensive pens, all glamoured with the either too bright or too darkly lit filters.
Since this is a senior column, I suppose I should be giving advice for the beginning of the year, and I’ll add to it when it is my time to depart. Take anything I put here, as you will.
For the newcomers, we have the freshman! If I personally could erase any year off my whole 12 years of slaving away in school, it would be my freshman year. The biggest piece of advice is to be caught up in classes, and put in effort. I know it’s your first year of high school and it is exciting and you want to do a lot of stuff on campus (or not, that is fine too) but please don’t slack off in any way. In my mind, freshman year really lays down a foundation for how you will do the next years in high school.
For the “forgotten” year in high school, sophomores! Sophomore year is either heavily forgotten about or… yeah, heavily forgotten about. I remember my sophomore year, VIVIDLY. My best advice is just try in your chemistry class. That class is like hell on EARTH.
Now for juniors. This is a big year for you. Please don’t stress. Stress will be your number one enemy this year. A lot of tests will be coming up and the possible stress from AP classes. A big thing that can help is actually taking breaks and self-care days (they can be literally anything you want).
This carpet ride of mine isn’t over yet, as I still have a good few months to go. I’ll see you again when I reach my final destination.
