A NEW ERA

I think we can all remember our first day of high school. The rush and excitement, all the anticipation and preparation that single day brought to each one of us.

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 I remember my first day of high school so vividly. I woke up hours before to get ready and even beat my brother to the car that morning. It was MY first day of high school. A day I always dreamed of. When I first walked into the building with my brand new uniform, everything seemed perfect. Running up to my friends and walking through the hallways looking for all my new classes. It was a fever dream and it was perfect. Freshman year. A precious time filled with so many first, so many happy memories, and so many defeats. My first high school game, first spirit week, even my first detention. I love high school!

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 Of course, that emotion eventually faded as sophomore year rolled around. 

Sophomore slump. No one talks about it but it almost seems as if everything that could possibly happen to you just all decides to happen during sophomore year. Sophomore year does not seem exciting. Sophomore year is not exciting. At least that's what I thought. But then I became best friends with these two girls and that made me happy. And suddenly we had more friends, and those friends became a group, and that group hung out every weekend. Maybe it's not all that bad.

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School might have sent us all overboard sophomore year, but at least my friends were there. 

And then there was the summer before junior year, beloved summer. That sophomore year friend group stuck around and it became the best summer of my life. My friends were suddenly driving and life is amazing. I am finally an upperclassman!!

I am finally an upperclassman… 

College.

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Junior year was the scariest of them all. From the start everyone starts throwing reality at you: “Are you taking the ACT or SAT?” “You should take more AP classes.” “How are the college lists coming along?”. It was infuriating. The worst part is that I couldn't do anything about it. But there I was, balancing an over-the-top academic life with being a teenager. Junior year was the most exciting. Looking back, junior year brought me the most memories. I remember going shopping for my first homecoming with my best friend. Falling in love with writing. Throwing my 16th birthday party. Getting dinner after a basketball game. Sitting in a room full of strangers taking my ACT the day after seeing my favorite band in concert. I remember going to states for track. The pep rallies. Driving to school late to take my AP exam. Most of all, I remember walking out of the doors that last day after my final exam and thinking “this is it, just one more year.”  

I am a senior.

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It is crazy to think that just three years ago I was walking through the same doors I walk through every morning for the very first time. My time in high school went by so fast and here I am, doing it all over again for the very last time. Although we've all had different experiences and collected many different memories these past few years, our basis remains the same. We all went through that nerve-wracking first day. That first bad grade. We've all spent countless weekends laughing with friends. Countless sleepless nights cramming for a test. And most importantly, we have all grown together. 

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Highschool is a new experience for everyone. A fresh start. A completely new year. Whether you're a freshman and your journey is just beginning or a senior who has been here for the past 4 years. It's all the same. 

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Here we are. Finally. Senior year. So much to look forward to. Senior sunrise, grad bash, prom. The beginning of the end. It's quite sad but exciting. I'm a little nervous, “Here is where my life begins.”

What a beautiful beginning.