When senior year began, I don’t think I could ever fathom how incredibly fast it would fly by. Suddenly, I blinked and now it’s May. This past month has felt like a ticking time bomb as graduation creeps closer and closer. While I’m so excited to step out of McDaniel into the real world and grow like a flower into my own person, melancholy still lingers as I think of leaving behind what has been my life for the past 12 years.
My high school career has been one of growth, coming out of my shell and pushing myself to try new things. I started and ran two new clubs; Red Cross Club being one that has always brought me so much pride as I see the visible difference in the community I am making. I joined two sports—tennis and track—that I had never played before and found a love for doing things that I enjoy, even if I’m not good at them. I took classes that have paved a path for my passions, like newspaper, AP US History and AP Lang. I found the people that make me feel incredibly loved and let me be me with every laugh, meaningful conversation and adventure taken.
As I leap across each “last” of my senior year–last first day, last homecoming dance, last high school test, last field trip–it really starts to hit me that soon this will all be over. The curtains will close, and it will be time to begin a new chapter of my life.
In 10 years when I think back to these last four years, I’ll of course remember the big, important milestones I have accomplished, but I think the things I will look back on most fondly aren’t the big events, but rather the small, simple, beautiful moments.
I’ll miss all the sunny days (though few) where my friends and I all ate lunch out on the field, playing spike ball or tanning on a blanket. I’ll miss walking a friend to her class so she could drop her bag off and walk me to mine, just so we could talk a little longer. I’ll miss debriefing a big test with my tablemates and laughing at how each of us got different answers for question 17. I’ll miss the conversations with my teachers about the simplest things, like how they’re doing today. I’ll miss my early morning drives to school with my sister, the radio playing in the background. I’ll miss the Dutch runs, the buzz of AP Gov before class begins, cramming for a test late at night, seeing who can complete the Wordle first during lunch, the walk from the school to the Glenhaven parking lot, and so much more.
These are the moments that have weaved together the beautiful mural of my high school experience, sewn with love, laughter, and the joy of the present. I feel so incredibly grateful for it all.
I would like to deeply thank my parents and sister, Emerson, for being my rocks and favorite people through thick and thin. I love you guys more than you’ll ever know. Thank you to my friends (old and new) for making each day one full of laughter and joy, and for being my biggest supporters. And thank you to my teachers (SB, Brunak and Ghan to name a few) for not only inspiring me, but also encouraging me to challenge myself as a student each day in class.
As the days count down to graduation, I feel the need to hold close to everything and not let it slip away from me into mere memories. But, a quote I often think of is “Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy it happened.” I am grateful for every day of my high school career. I am grateful for how I have grown as a person, was challenged, felt lost, or took a leap of faith. Though it’s scary and I will miss McDaniel and my people dearly, I am so excited to start a fresh new chapter in my life and continue to bloom into the best version of me. Thank you McDaniel!
