By Rachel Danner — It is crazy how fast time flies. One minute our parents are tying our shoes, packing our lunch and kissing us before we get on the school bus. The next, they are packing the car and making the trek to move us into college.
It feels like just yesterday I took my first steps into high school, updating my Facebook status that morning saying “This is the first day of the rest of our lives.” Now, in a few weeks, I will be taking my last steps out of high school, probably not updating my Facebook status at all.
Looking back, I feel as though I could have done a lot of things differently but I am also glad I went through with the things I did.
Regardless of the things I wish I could change, I am in the place that I want to be right now and I believe I would not be here if it were not for my high school experiences or the people I have met these past four years.
To my friends, family and teachers, thank you for believing in me even when I did not believe in myself and pushing me when I needed it the most.
I could not have realized my potential as a writer without Spano’s guidance. I would never have found my dream school without the three-hour drive my parents were more than willing to make. I would not have gotten through those tough math assignments without my brother’s help. And I definitely would not have enjoyed high school as much as I did without my friends there to constantly make me laugh.
High school has taught me more than the unit circle or how to compose a synthesis essay. I have learned the importance of staying true to myself and how to handle certain situations. No matter what day it was, I could always leave school knowing I had learned something.
If I could offer any advice to my peers it would be to realize that each time one door closes another door opens. Each failure brings light to a new opportunity. Do not feel like if one thing goes wrong it will stay that way forever. The loss that has caused you so much pain may very well be the start of the greatest beginning. Once you realize this, experiences, good and bad, will become much easier.
[Updated Aug. 7, 2017: This article has been reformatted for consistency.]