My dad no longer has to drop me off at school in the morning and the bus no longer has to bring me home in the afternoon. All the football games and proms have quickly come and gone. There’s no homework assignments to procrastinate or final exams to study for.

All that’s left is to walk across the stage and accept my diploma.

It’s funny how I spent most of high school dreaming of graduation day. I’ve been planning for college since the end of my freshman year. I used to think that I was too “mature” for the smelly hallways I walked through each day.

But looking back, I can’t believe how naïve I was to think that I could actually handle being an adult at the age of fourteen.

I didn’t understand how much high school meant to me until it was practically over. It wasn’t until the final week of school that I looked around the cafeteria, at the students I’ve known for almost twelve years, and said to myself, “Wow, this is one of the last times we’ll all be together again.”

I know it’s sad to think that way, but it’s true. Next week, after we take off our caps and gowns, what happens? We can’t casually stop at each other’s lockers or peek in one another’s classrooms every day like we used to. It’s hard to realize the time has come to say farewell to the place and people we’ve become so attached to.

I’m going to miss my dad driving me to school every morning. And I’ll miss the football games. And I’ll miss the proms. And I’ll miss all my teachers and friends. I’ll even miss walking through the smelly hallways.

So, if there’s any incoming freshmen out there reading this, remember to enjoy yourself. Cherish the memories you’re about to make. The next four years may not be quite the same as High School Musical, but your experience can be pretty darn close if you take advantage of what you’re given.

You may not know exactly who you are yet, but that’s okay. Just be yourself, and before you can blink, you’ll find yourself without even trying.

If any of my fellow seniors are reading this, I hope you made the most of the time you had. I hope you learned from teachers that taught you more about the world than just American history or trigonometry. I also hope you made friends that will never leave your side.

I wish the class of 2016 the best of luck in the future, whatever that may be or wherever life may take you.

I know this seems like the end, but trust me, this is only the beginning.