To the seniors,

I know where you are right now. I remember exactly how I felt when I was in your shoes. Nervous. Excited. Anxious. Overwhelmed. Take in my words when I say this: enjoy your last moments of high school. As much as you're looking forward to the future, enjoy the present. I was extremely excited to graduate and move on, but I wish I appreciated my last few months a lot more. You have so much time to experience life outside of high school, but not much more time to live in it. Whether you love your school or hate it, you've been there for a whole four years. You will always look back on the past, especially your time in high school.

You're probably planning prom right now. Enjoy that time. It may be nerve-wracking thinking of what dress you're going to wear, who you're taking as your date, what you're doing with your hair, etc. I was insanelystressed during that time, but I would love to relive it. I just love prom. I went to three, and they were all different, amazing experiences. Enjoy the time before, but most importantly, enjoy your actual prom. It goes by so fast. Don't get swept up in the minor details and forget to actually have a good time when it finally comes.

Appreciate the moments with all your friends. While you say you're gong to keep in touch with one another, you're just not. Don't stress about that, it happens. You'll keep your closest friends, but the ones you only talk to in school, you'll most likely lose contact with them. Take pictures with them. Laugh with them. Reminisce. Cry. While you may not see each other as often, you'll never forget to them and what they meant to you. They shaped your high school experience and what it will look like when you look back on it.

Your daily routine is about to change. Most seniors will be going away to college and will have a completely different atmosphere surrounding them. If you're one of those people, everything will change for you and you will be in a unfamiliar place with people you don't know, so appreciate the little things of your average day that you take for granted. Things like sitting in your room watching Netflix, eating at home or your favorite restaurant. And if you commute, things are still going to change. You're not driving to the same place every morning. Your schedule is going to completely change, and school as you know it will be drastically different. You will no longer be a high schooler, and you're back to being the youngest.

One thing I wish I knew back then was not to focus on the drama. If you're like me, you had enough high school drama to last a lifetime. Move on from all of it. None of it matters anymore. Make the last few months happy and stress free. You'll want to remember these moment as good ones to cherish, not sad ones to try and forget. Eliminate the negative people. Surround yourself with the ones you want to experience this time with.

Graduation day is going to come faster than you expect. Like the last four years, these weeks are going to fly by. You're going to be caught up in the excitement of the last few events of high school. Graduation practice, your last few days of school, etc. Before you know it, the day will be here. And the past four years will all feel like a distant memory. Enjoy graduation day. Take a lot of picture with your classmates. Say goodbye to your favorite teachers because you never know when you're going to see them again. Walk your last steps in those hallways. Look around at the familiar classrooms and lockers that will never be yours again. You're an alumni now.

Have no regrets these next weeks. Appreciate all of it. Even if you're like me and you can't wait to graduate, don't rush the time by. It's bittersweet. And down the line, you're always going to think about how you felt and what you were like when you were in high school. It's an important time of your life. As much as I love college, all the people I've met, and the experiences I've made, a piece of me will always be at my high school.

Sincerely,

A college student.