The end of senior year is a weird cocktail of emotions, on one hand I’m literally counting down the minutes until I walk at graduation and can officially call high school a thing of the past, but I also feel weirdly nostalgic for the years behind me. I think some of this is due to the pandemic, even though it has been our living situation for over a year now I still have parts of my brain longing for the once-was and has-been.

Looking at the freshmen this year, I also notice how small they look, and how I could have never been so young. But now I’m an old and wise 18 year old preparing for a new chapter- and I’m acutely aware of as a 22 year old even wiser college graduate, I’m going to look back at my barely legal self and feel the same way I do now. A mix of embarrassment but also a strange protectiveness, but most importantly a gratitude of how much I’ve grown. 

Along with reminiscing , I also want to be helpful. So here’s my advice to all the wide-eyed underclassmen reading. Don’t date boys that have their own metal band, especially if it isn’t even that good. Social media isn’t fulfilling and delete it sometimes for your sanity. The Goodwill on County Line and Broadway is the best one around. Go to as many $15 concerts as you can and bring your friends. Talk to your teachers after class. A letter grade doesn’t define you as a person. Always stop at stop signs. Tell your grandparents that you love them. Dance alone in your room every night. Live life as though you’re the main character. Find something in school you love and stick with it, those people will be your second family.  Don’t park in the West Lot unless you have really good anger management techniques. Ask your parents about their life, they have so many stories. You are so loved, and never alone. Everybody in your life will teach you something whether you know it now or not. Treat everybody with kindness, it pays off.

Thank you to all my amazing friends in The Herald and Calumet for getting me through the moments of joy and frustration. Thank you to Mr. Anderson for being not only my teacher and advisor, but a role model and friend. Thank you to Dylan, Mom, and Dad for showing me so much love and supporting me through all my ventures. And thank you to all the amazing teachers that have taught me not only about the periodic table and prose, but how to be a good person and what life is all about. I can’t say that I’ll miss you, Arapahoe, but I appreciate all the lessons learned and experiences had within these walls.