High school is never something I want to talk about. I was a completely different person in high school. Different morals, values, attitude, and friends. My daily thoughts consisted of, "Will ___ say hi to me in the hallway today?" or, "Is that girl wearing the same shirt as me?"

I know, I'm rolling my eyes too. But that was me in high school, and I cringe every time I think about how I was. But ultimately, it was who I was back then that helped me become who I am today.

High school was a hard time for me. When other people were enjoying bonfires with their friends and going out, I was at home by myself. I didn't want to leave my room or my house.

During my junior year, my parents got divorced, and I was only 17 when it happened. Sure, the divorce rate has gone up over the years, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I've never felt that type of sadness before.

That year changed my life forever. Now, when I think about high school, I think about my parents getting divorced and I barely remember the rest.

So when people say, "I miss high school so much!" or "High school was the best time of my life!"

I just shake my head and say, "Not for me."

But high school made me stronger (Cue Britney Spears - Stronger). Through all of the ups and downs, I've learned a lot about what I can handle and how my emotions truly work.

I would not be who I am today if it wasn't for high school. The friends I had in high school that I still have now have also shaped me to who I am. Though there are only a handful of them, I do still have some friends from high school.

Every now and then I check up on the high school that I went to and I see that nothing has changed. High school is almost like a time warp, everyone is stuck there and their life revolves around it - that's why college is such a whirlwind. It is so different from high school that the students don't know what to do when they get there and how to go about life because their life and routine was so different just a couple of months before.

So, thank you high school. Thank you for being the time of my life where I went through the worst times, but also making me the strong woman that I am today.

I never want to go through that time of my life again - but I'm grateful for that time of my life.

To anyone who is in high school right now reading this, it gets better. No matter the tough times, you will come out of the building with a diploma and you can never step foot in there again.

But don't worry, it ends.