The morning of August 31st, I arrived in New York City for my first day of orientation at Pace University. I got there a little early, so I wandered off to a Starbucks nearby, sat down at one of the little round tables they have there and looked out the window. The streets were vibrant with people from all walks of life trying to get to where they wanted to go. Cars were honking, dogs were barking, and pigeons were gliding easily past the windows of bookstores and restaurants. And then on the other side of that window was me, a nervous kid wondering how in the world he would thrive, let alone make it to the next day, in this bustling metropolis.

But another side of me felt ready to move on past the limits of being a child. That side wanted to get exposed to the big wide world no matter how dangerous it was. That side had been through the transition high school allowed me to experience. That side of me felt like an adult, and it could not have been given life had I not gone to high school.

High school essentially prepared me for what it’s like to be completely independent.

Inside the classroom, I learned about the importance of topics like mental health, safe sex, and drug use. Outside the classroom, I first experienced what it was like going out with friends and living on a budget. And while I’m still adjusting to having of these new aspects of life as a part of me (especially living on a budget), I feel more prepared than ever to behave independently.

Being in high school was also a period of transition for me because it made me more aware of my identity than ever before. I was allowed to find what I’m passionate about and what I’m good at while I also realized in high school that it’s okay to not be good at everything. The most important thing instead is to focus on your strengths and interests and see where they take you. My identity was further realized by the friends I chose to surround myself with, and the communities I decided to be part of. Thanks to high school I finally started to accept that I didn’t have to be a part of every little group either, and those true friendships can only develop naturally.

Realizing who I am was one of the most important things I was ever taught in high school, and I am finally able to take what I know of myself so I can make myself fit into the larger picture of society.

Aside from friends and experiences, my my teachers in high school prepared me to become an adult. Some made me more disciplined, while others provided love and encouragement, and yet others made me become a better person. Some even did all three. Every single one in their own little way made me who I am today, and I cannot be grateful enough for that. I still remember the enthusiasm with which my senior English teacher would treat a new text and how I aspired to go after my passion for literature because of that. I also recall the exciting noise and hustle my European history teacher filled the classroom with from the very first day that school year, making me realize how history really is my all-time favorite subject. Those and many other teachers seemed to unlock some new little passion within me while also making me more well-rounded, scrappy, and grateful to always be learning.

High school prepared me the most for adult life, though, by having me confront rejection. I did not really know how hard rejection could hit until I was going through the college application process. Though it was incredibly time-consuming and the denials were hard to swallow, this journey I went on in my senior high really allowed me to be content through all the rejection and to stick to the belief that it never had anything to do with how much I was worth as a person. Meanwhile, I was allowed to celebrate my victories as well. I remember getting into my first college and having that rare feeling of truly being content with myself. I learned to cherish those moments of accomplishment and always keep them in mind in case I would ever feel like I wasn’t worth just as much as anyone else. My high school years thus reminded me as well of how important dealing with rejection is, but that it is equally important to be proud of myself when I accomplish something major like getting into college.

When I looked through the window at the energetic streets of New York City one side of me might have felt confident and the other a little nervous, but both also felt nostalgic and grateful towards those four years that are now behind me. And so I realized that high school taught me one more crucial life lesson: to cherish the past. I now cherish the friendships, the teachers, the experiences (both good and bad), and especially the life lessons without which I would not have been prepared to face the greater society I was thrust into after graduation. I cherish them all because I know college will also teach me more than I could ask for, and another amazing four years will be over before I know it.