As of today, I graduate in less than two months. I am anxious knowing these next months will be filled with tears, both of joy and sadness. Graduation is an important event in everyone’s life and people all react differently. However, for me graduation will be an emotional roller coaster, bouncing off the walls happy one minute, sobbing listening to Rivers and Roads the next. A little over-dramatic you say? Let me explain.
From August until June, from 7:50 am until 2:30 pm (1:30 pm on Wednesdays), my friends have been my second family. I have known most of my classmates since freshman year, some since kindergarten. Some I would die without, others just help me make it through the school day. Never the less, they are all my family.
My classmates are my support system and I love each and every one of them as if I was their sister. They have been with me through it all and the bond we have is unbreakable. Outside of my friends, I have made so many important connections with everyone in my school. Although we have not always gotten along, my teachers have encouraged me and taught me so much more than just math and history. I truly owe my success in high school to them. I have gained confidence in myself and my abilities and will bring that to college, whichever one I choose.
To think that in a couple months I will be walking around a college campus without my classmates is scary. Learning to navigate a college campus is overwhelming, yet I will be forced to do this all while living on my own for the first time in my life. Gone are the days of “rolling out of bed and going to school”. The concept of having to wear something other than a uniform and maybe sit next to a boy in class still gives me a pit in my stomach. Do not get me wrong, I cannot wait for college, but I really will miss messy buns and plaid skirts on a daily basis.
As I reflect on my last four years in high school, I get teary eyed knowing I might not see some of my classmates ever again (or at least for a very long time). On the other hand, my heart is full because I know my friends are about to embark on this journey with me, making new best friends and facing new experiences.
I go into these next two months eager to spend as much time as I can with my crazy, wonderful class. I will walk into school and smile because I have learned to love the smell of dry shampoo and coffee in the morning. I truly cannot wait to see what the future holds for me, but until then I will cry every time someone mentions wearing that white cap and gown.
