Spring sports are just beginning, college deposits are being placed and senioritis is at an all time high. You feel like its pointless to be in the same building with the same classes, seeing the same faces day in and day out. Its about a month until you get your caps and gowns and walk down the aisle with the people you grew up with for the very last time.
The day you graduate will be the last day you see most of the faces from your class. Some of them you went to preschool in diapers with, and some were last minute transfers, but no matter their story, you all have one thing in common- you're the graduating class of 2016 from your high school. Nothing or no one can change the bond all 200 of you share. Cherish these people. Whether you have never said a word to them, or you're best friends, always have a place in your heart for them.
One day, you'll be walking through your college campus and out of no where, you'll spot one of these people. Most likely, you probably didn't even know they chose the same university as you. A wave of relief will come over you, knowing that at least one person on a campus of 20,000 kids knows what its like to miss the same hometown, the same little ice cream shops, and the same corners of every street we've all taken too fast.
Everyone wants "to get out of that place" and wants to go to places like Florida, Alabama, The Carolinas, anywhere that is a flight away from where you grew up. You can't wait for warm weather, and getting away from your parents rules. Within the first week of college, you'll miss every time your parents yelled at you, or when your siblings would do everything in their power to annoy you. It's a chapter of your life that is a complete 360 of what it used to be, and it's one of the hardest transitions of your life thus far. You need people like your parents to help you through it all. The sense of home is the most comforting feeling in a time so stressful.
Keep your high school friends close. These are the people who know your deepest darkest secrets, have seen your worst, and of course, your best. There is nothing like the friends you've had the last 15 years of your life. As great as the new people you find are, the ones back home are irreplaceable.
College is supposed to be one of the greatest times of your life, and it will be, but then again it's one of the hardest. There is just nothing else in the world like home. Don't take your sports teams for granted, because once its over, its heartbreaking. The people you sweat with, bleed with, and cry with, become your family. Don't take the late night drives with no destination for granted. The twists and turns in the roads you've memorized will soon fade away. Don't take your dog for granted, your family, or friends. College changes everything. Love what you have in the moment. Treat everyone with kindness, and love with your whole heart. With this, I beg you, don't wish it away, Class of 2016.
