As I go into my junior year of college, my little cousin is going into her freshmen year of high school. When she asked me for advice for her first year, it took me back to when I was in her place as a nervous and frightened freshman walking through the double doors of my high school. To a lot of people, the high school years have a pretty bad reputation. Even though I hated high school geometry class and waking up at 7 am five days a week, I loved those four years. I got to discover a new passion, go on a life-changing retreat, and make some incredible memories. Looking back on all of it, I just wanted to say thank you to my high school.

Thank you for introducing me to amazing people

Throughout my four years at my high school, I met some of the greatest people. Whether they were the teachers I had or my classmates, each of them (some more than others) brought something great into my life. The friends I made and the people I met there will always have a place in my heart. I can not express how thankful I am of who I met during those four years.

Thank you for all the memories

From my first day to my very last day, I made so many memories. My favorite memories took place my senior year. Everything from my final physics project, going on Kairos, senior prom, and my final walk across the stage at graduation. I love looking back and reminiscing on all these happy memories. Those happy memories are all held close to my heart because I shared them with incredible people. I'm thankful for the good times and the bad times as well, because they both made me into who I am today. Some of my favorite memories are the ones I made in high school, with my friends who turned into my family.

Thank you for giving me a unique support system

Even after three years of graduating, I still visit my high school with my friends and look at how everything has changed. One thing that never changes is that no matter how old you become or how big your class size was, it's like a family. I've noticed that even though everyone from my 2014 graduating class are at different colleges or in different stages in their lives, we all come together again if someone is in need. We all support one another and I'm extremely grateful for that feeling of community.

Thank you for forcing me to take every subject and for providing incredible teachers.

Okay, I admit I wasn't too happy taking pre-calculus or physics early in the morning but thank you for exposing me to different subjects. I may not know how to do taxes, but I know the pythagorean theorem and how to balance a chemical equation. Since I was exposed to different subjects in high school, I learned what I was passionate about. Thank you for providing teachers that cared about the students and taught them how to look at something in a different perspective. To this day, I still interact and learn a lot from my high school teachers. I appreciate them because they push/pushed me both personally and academically.

In those four years, I learned what a true friend is, what I'm passionate about, and overall I learned more about myself. I never got the chance to say it when I graduated so I'm saying it now, thank you. Thank you to everyone who made my high school experience one for the books.

High On The Hilltop, over the glen. xoxo