Dear Seniors,

I know your senioritis has kicked in to high gear at this point and the idea of college has you wishing graduation was tomorrow, but please, do the opposite. Don’t wish away your last moments of high school. Even if going to school is the last thing you want to do with your time, make the most of every experience offered to you before your entire life is flipped upside down.

When you graduate, there will most likely be a big group of people that you never see again your entire life. You may be Facebook friends and keep tabs on them, but for the most part, you’ll never have convenient conversations with those familiar faces in the hallways ever again. People who you’ve been in classes with since middle school will suddenly drop off of your social radar, and you may altogether forget the acquaintances you used to smile and wave at daily.

When you graduate, you’re going to miss the sense of community and pride at school events and games. You’ll no longer get to stand with 500 of your closest friends in the student section screaming at the top of your lungs when the football team scores a touchdown. You won’t get to dress up for spirit week and get congratulated for looking like a crazy person. You won’t know all of the people in the school play and get to laugh at how awkward the kissing scenes are. But worst of all, you won’t get to see your favorite people on a daily basis.

When you graduate, the relationships in your life change drastically. The people you usually spend hours upon hours with will suddenly start slipping away and everyone will decide it’s time to mature just a little bit. Your best friends in the whole world might distance themselves from each other and from you.Leaving behind an entire chapter of your life is really, really hard. Even as a second semester freshman in college now, I still think about my high school friends and look back on our crazy memories.

So seniors, while you still have some time left, remember to soak in every moment of your last few months. Go out of your way to talk to the people you may not think to. Cherish the memories you make with your friends, and try to do more things with them. Spend less of your time watching Netflix and more time at sporting events, getting dinner, or hugging your pets. Graduation will sneak up on you, and all too soon you’ll be forced to grow up. Take advantage of the opportunities given to you now so you don’t regret it later. Don’t wish for senior year to be over just yet. It’ll come soon enough. I wish you the best.