I’m often revolted when I remember who I was freshman year. The change between online middle school to in person freshman year was daunting given throughout quarantine I successfully isolated myself from virtually everyone. Because of this I started high school being terrible at socializing and incredibly shut in, leading to minor pressure from my family to join an extracurricular. I didn’t think much about my decision to join the newspaper, but it ended up having a huge impact, especially when I met Valentine and Sebastian in Intro to Journalism. Both of them were one of those people who seemingly can strike up a conversation with anyone without fear. (Something I was admittingly horrified by.) This led to me eventually eating lunch with a huge group of people. Here I officially befriended the people I’d spend the rest of high school with: Jasper, Valentine, Adie, and Breanna. These four people would wind up making going to school worth it. High school has definitely been a rollercoaster, but at least the ride has only been going up since freshman year.
As high school drew to a close, things really started to shift. Senior and the end of junior year was the best yet. I solidified my social circle with genuinely good people, and I started actually caring about my mental health and future. At the end of the day, I think I’m most grateful for the people in my life: walking to school with Jasper, going on late night drives with my sister, lunch with my friends, not doing work in class with Jack, Emma, Aria and Valentine, watching What Would You Do? with my family, being in the newspaper with SB, Sebastian, Jackson, Anna, Hattie, Paige, Em, Thisbe, Lincoln, Eva, Grace, and everyone else who made The Oracle worth staying in. It’s the little things that you don’t even think about I know I’ll miss the most.
People continuously told me senior year would flash by, and I honestly didn’t believe it. Reggie Miller said: “Sharks never stop swimming; that’s when they die. You gotta keep moving.” That’s how high school has felt for me. Time is continuously moving forward and around me like a current. One second, I’m a scared 14-year-old that loathes the thought of school, then I blinked and I’m 18 dreading graduation and about to move to another state. Admittedly I’m scared nothing will ever be the same, but I also take comfort in knowing everything is changing. Freshman year of high school I restarted my life, and now I have a chance to restart in college but this time with more support that I’ll be forever grateful for. I’ll be dorming with Jasper, visiting my sister and friends, watching What Would You Do? by myself, and always reading The Oracle.