I had a great high school experience. I stayed involved through cheerleading, yearbook and other various clubs and organizations. I got along well with my teachers and made lifelong friends. However, you could not pay me to step foot in the halls as a ninth grade freshman.

Now, if we're talking like, one million bucks, we might could work something out, but this is strictly figuratively speaking. I hear it all the time, "Oh, what I would give to go back to high school just one more time..." I truly, from the bottom of my heart, do not see myself ever saying those words.

Contrary to popular belief, I do not believe that high school is the best time of your life. In high school, most of us were awkward, pudgy, brace-wearing adolescents who had curfews of 9:00. And once the awkward stage was over, we still didn't know how to approach a guy or girl without having a friend's help. And if none of the above applied to you, then you were probably one of those kids who just got in trouble all the time, and let's face it: You really weren't as cool as you thought you were.

After graduation is when the real fun begins: You start college somewhere new, you meet new people, you move out on your own, you turn 21... YOU TURN 21!!... You don't truly grow into the person you are supposed to be until you graduate high school and get to learn who you are without the pressures of fitting into a pre-conceived mold.

Because in high school, none of us really know who we are, and that's okay. A part of growing up is learning new things and having experiences that help shape us into the person we want to be.

Now I'm really about to ruffle some feathers...I believe that those who constantly yearn for the days of high school are the ones who never got out there and made a name for themselves. High school was all they know, and now that they're out here in the real world, they don't know what to do next.

It's time to hang up that Letterman jacket and put away those football trophies. Stop reliving the glory days and get out there and make something of your present. Because really, life only gets better the older you get. Unless you're, you know, still stuck in past.

Since graduating high school, I have learned so much about myself, friendships, and romantic relationships. After keeping in everyday contact with maybe only two people from high school (whom I still consider some of my very best friends,) I learned that I was only friends with a lot of those people because I saw them five times a week. I have met some of the most genuine people outside of high school. I learned that I didn't know anything about love or relationships (I mean, who does at sixteen?) But most of all, I learned that there is still so much to learn in this life.

I will always cherish the memories and look back on my high school days with nostalgia, and I am very proud of my classmates of 2015. I forever wish them the best of luck. But you still couldn't pay me to go back.