To the class of 2017... this is it.

Can you hear it? The graduation song being played by the high school band softly and slowly in the background as you reflect on the last few years... Give yourself a pat on the back, you deserve it! After countless days of late nights cramming, trying to get your essay into TurnItIn before the deadline, field trips to the local museums, trying to beat your friends in a game of Kahoot, and Friday night lights, you have endured a lot. You may have lost a few friends, but you've also (hopefully!) gained a lot of new ones along the way.

This time of year is rough all around. You've just finished the dreaded AP testing season, last minute tests and projects are flying left and right and you're just ready to party it up at prom and at end-of-the-year senior events and get out. But before you take your final bow, remember what really matters and don't poop out on school just yet because there is so much potential the final days hold that you could be wasting away by complaining about how much you want to graduate.

Take the time to have real conversations with friends who you may not see for awhile.

Don't procrastinate on this too much by saying that you'll have all summer. Summer brings a lot of change and chances are, you'll say you'll keep in touch and talk, but you probably won't... Remember last summer?

School may be the last place for awhile where your whole math-class clique is all together for a good laugh. Savor those small moments because it might be at your class reunion in 25 years that you are all together again.

Write a real letter to one of your favorite teachers or faculty members. The ones that are blank and have the matching envelopes! Those are the best kind of letters- it just shows how much you care as you took the time to sit down and hand write a note.

Visit your old elementary and middle school. Maybe peak into your old classrooms to stir up some more nostalgia, and see if your teacher back in 3rd grade remembers you!

Drop by your favorite coffee shop or take a walk on a nearby trail and spend some quality time with some quality people. In just a few months, you, and/or your friends, may be miles away from home and these may be the last moments for awhile to have those deep conversations.

Don't spread yourself too thin though. Remember to give yourself some TLC! It's better to be 100 percent present in a few situations than half asleep in many.

Don't get me wrong, I want to graduate just as much as you. I mean, I say it all the time about how much I hate school, but it's school that brought me to my closest friends and created some of the best memories, and for that I am forever grateful.