"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..." — Dr. Seuss, "Oh, The Places You'll Go!"

High school helped introduce the meaning of hard work in education and the true meaning of friendship. We take the lessons we’ve learned through high school onto our journey through college and beyond. Learning how to properly study and challenge yourself is crucial for the rest of your life. When we go off to college, we’ll be able to forge that connection better with others.

People our age feel like they know what they want or look for in friends and whatever else it may be but in reality they don’t. We all have different personalities. Parts where people like, then parts where people may not like as much. It just means that you’re able to connect with different groups of people. If you couldn’t find the right friends to be around, then that’s OK because it just means that there are other people out there that can truly appreciate you for who you are. Those people you’ve met at the end of your high school career that you wonder why you hadn’t met them sooner, those are the people that serve as a reminder that there are always more people out there for you to get to know and make new memories with.

Those are the people that you got to spend your last few precious memories with childhood with, they were a part of your life and you were a part of theirs. In your last few days, make amends, hug your friends, and thank your teachers, you’re about to start the rest of your life from here.

For me, it’s the excitement but also fear of the unknown, what’s yet to come. Am I making the best decision for myself? Would this be the best path for me to take? I don’t want to be stuck doing something I’d end up not enjoying. I want to be able to constantly learn, grow, and strive to achieve more and really go places, not just be in that one place and not be able to move forward. I don’t want to be just average, I want to be able to achieve, lead, and make an impact on others.

I tend to think about the future a lot nowadays. It’s a difficult transition because you’ve had a path set out for you for, you’re so used to the same routine with school for such a long time, now we’re on our own to make that path which is scary but also part of the fun. Everyone feels like this in one degree or another, knowing that others may feel as lost as you are is comforting because you know you’re not alone.

As rushed as everything may feel, we all still have time. This is the prime time to discover and experience our interests and passions on a deeper level. It’s nice to realize now that maybe you didn’t want to dive into a specific subject or field, but you wouldn’t know that unless you tried. If you’re interested in it, go for it. If you end up not liking it, then you know that now rather than in the middle of your career that you dislike what you’re doing. You’re discovering what would or wouldn’t work out for you.

Fear is a factor that stops a lot of people from maybe trying new things or not going for something they may have a passion for. No goal is too big to achieve, you just need to take it one step at a time and more importantly, you have to take the first step in finding your passions and putting the first foot forward to try it out. Without that first step, you can’t move forward from your starting point.

"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So... get on your way!" — Dr. Seuss, "Oh, The Places You'll Go!"