High school seniors,
Oh boy. You are so close. In just a few months, you will walk across that stage with a proud smile on your face. Your family will cheer as they hear your name, and they will proceed to take many pictures of you with your diploma. So many people will tell you that they are proud of you.
I know it feels like forever away. But it will be here soon. You have to work your butt off, and you cannot give up no matter how much you want to. I remember how difficult the last semester was. School began to feel pointless, and I was so ready to leave and move on with my life. It was hard for me to continue being friends with some peers, cause it was stuck in my mind that they would not be there in a couple of months. Shortly after high school, you come to a realization that a lot of people became your friends simply because you had to spend hours a day with them around. Not every single one of your friends right now will stick around, but I promise that your greatest friends will come in college, or at your future workplace.
Senior year of high school comes with a lot of responsibility and pressure. Throughout our whole lives, we are pushed with the question of what we want to do when we are done with high school. This question never fails to come up during every family gathering. It is not a terrible question if you are able to answer it confidently. But on the other hand, it is rough. In that moment, you are reminded that you have no idea what it is that you want to do for the rest of your life.
Let me just say that ultimately, it doesn't matter. If you do not want to go to college, don't. You do not have to follow the same path that all of your friends take. There is nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to do with your life, and there never will be. In life, we are supposed to grow. The main way we do this is by trying new things, and figuring out our interests and what does not appeal to us personally. It does not matter if you are 17 or 23. You will figure it out. Just be patient and don't worry about what anybody says.
These next few months are going to be rough. They will be completely worth it, though. You have to keep reminding yourself that everything is and will be fine. In a couple of months, these small problems will not matter. Your grades will not define you forever, and you get to choose what it is you want to do with your life. No one else is in control.
As someone who remembers how crazy the future felt during my senior year, keeping my head up was the only way I got through. Live up your last few moments of high school. It gets a lot more difficult from here, but it also gets a whole lot better. You just have to make it through.
Sincerely,
Someone who understands.
