I remember my first day of high school like it was yesterday. I was terrified of everything from the new and bigger school building to the seniors who were so much older and seemingly more mature than I was. They were about to finish a journey that I was just beginning. I'm sure all of us can relate to the fact that high school has definitely been a rollercoaster. Nothing has really stayed the same since 2015 when we started our freshman year, and in many ways, that's a good thing.

Most of us have grown up, whether that means you've gotten taller or just a little wiser than you were that August when you first walked through the halls that have become so familiar to you now. I remember thinking that I'd be lucky to graduate high school, simply because of how daunting and difficult it seemed. I just wanted to make it through these past four years and get my diploma and be off to college, as I'm sure most of us can also relate to.

High school wasn't as scary as I thought, however. Yes, homework does suck and there are days where getting out of bed at 7:00 a.m. seems harder than climbing Mount Everest. But look at us now — we did it. We're here in the home stretch, seven weeks (give or take) from graduation day and all of it will be over.

Whether you're headed off to your dream school, into the workforce or to the airport to travel the world, we're all on our way to being the best versions of ourselves, and it's important to remember through all of it to stay true to yourself. Wherever you go, hold tight to what makes you happy to be alive. Hold onto everything from the little things like your favorite song or food to the bigger things like your dreams and your passions. It's important to remember that no matter how hard or mundane it is being an adult, you can always find happiness somewhere in this world.

Now is our moment, class of 2019, so revel in it. Hug your families, because it isn't long until we'll all be miles away from them and those daily hellos and good nights will become few and far between. Have fun with your friends and take it all in. Hold onto this last little bit of our childhood that we have left, because, in a number of days, you'll pack up your parents SUV and head off into the unknown.

Here's to us, class of 2019, we've made it.