To the Class of 2017,
You made it. It’s the final stretch, it’s finally the Friday of your high school years. I know you have been counting down to this moment since freshman year. I know I had been, and when I woke up on my last first day of school, the year hadn’t even started yet but I was already counting down to the day I would put on that ugly cap and gown and it would finally be over. I even remember the caption I put on my Snapchat selfie, “last first day of prision”, like high school was really that bad. That day flew by, almost in a blur, and then every day after that followed suit. Before I knew it, I was standing in the tunnel and looking out at the 400+ people I spent the last 4 years of my life with, all dressed in caps and gowns, while I waited for the signal to walk out and meet them. While I stood there, my knees shook because I questioned how I could already be standing there, and how this moment that was 253 days away on a Monday that seemed like yesterday, was happening. That sentence basically sums up senior year.
I know everyone has a different approach of how senior year should be spent. Some will tell you to go to every single sporting event and school function humanly possible because soon the day will come that you no longer can. Others will tell you that senior year isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and how badly they just wanted to get out. The truth is, there is no right or wrong way to do senior year. Senior year is the year you can make into whatever you want. You endured the awkward moment freshman year was, the bore sophomore year felt like, the stress junior year brought, and senior year is finally the year with a blank slate. There will be plenty to celebrate- from college acceptance letters to scholarships to graduation announcements. There will also be plenty to mourn, like senior night and the realization that in just a few short months, you’ll leave your home, your friends, your family, your pets and the security of the only life you’ve ever known behind for unknown territory. However, despite this mix of emotions, senior year is the last year of your childhood you have to make memorable.
A popular Twitter meme tells you how important it is to attend every football game and to savour every moment of those Friday night lights and that prom is the best night of your young life. However, as important as these events and memories are, senior year is about much more than these events everyone raves about. It’s about making the best of every single moment because the end is near, and many of the most memorable moments aren’t the ones intended to memorable. I went to many football games and enjoyed every second of them, and I danced and laughed until my feet burned and my stomach ached at my senior prom. However, when I look back on my senior year, those aren’t the moments that make me want to go back and do it all over again.
When I look back on my senior year, I smile at the thought of the talks on the way to school every morning when I dropped my little sister off, the countless hours of great conversation from spending nearly every afternoon in my favorite teacher’s classroom and the spontaneous adventures my best friend and I went on on school nights, despite how exhausted (and late to class) we would be the next morning. I still tear up at the thought of my last barrel run at my last high school rodeo and shine with pride when I remember my name being announced as one of the top 10 graduates. I still cherish the value of a friendship I had with someone who was friendless, because that friendship is the one that taught me what the true meaning of friendship was. I realize the significance of waking up with my cat laying next to me and miss the sound of my mother’s voice telling me goodnight every single night. Of course I love the memories I have of football games and prom night, but those aren’t my favorite memories. Instead, my senior year is classified by thousands of seemingly insignificant moments that ended becoming the most valuable memories which I had no clue I was making.
Yes, senior year is about football games and senior prank and prom night, but it’s about more than that too. Despite how quickly senior year flies by, in each day, there’s a significant moment that you will never experience again. Don’t get so wrapped up the big events that you forget about the little ones. Senior year is about living every day to the fullest, and that has a different meaning for everyone, so spend your days deciding what it means to you. It is no lie when they say the end comes quickly so cherish every moment, big and small, because before you know it, high school will just be a story to tell. September becomes May faster than you can blink, and a “last first day of prision” Snapchat selfie quickly turns into a cap and gown portrait.
I wish you all the luck in the world, and I envy you, as you are about to experience moments and make memories you will hold close to your heart for a lifetime. Senior year is the year of lasts, so make the best of your last chance to make high school count.
Don’t blink,
A Class of 2016 Graduate
