To the graduating class,

High school can be described as either the best or the worst four years of your life. Most people don't fall in one or the other, but instead into the gray area between the two. High school is marked by everlasting friendships, memorable events, and of course the work load. Surely you remember that time your team won the county championship two years in a row, the time you got an A on a paper you worked really hard on, and your senior prom. High school would be incomplete without these memories. Throughout these four years though, you've had your eyes set on one goal: graduating. The day you get to put on that cap and gown, walk across the field you once played on, receive your diploma, and enjoy the last moments with your friends before moving on to a new chapter in your life. Coming out of high school, you should ask yourself if you did everything you could to make it memorable. Did you wish these four years away or did you make them count? Often enough students are so set on leaving high school, that they neglect to realize how amazing it is to be 15 years old and unaware of the world, 16 years old and finally gaining responsibilities, 17 years old and beginning to know your place, and finally 18 years old, when you decide how you want to spend your future. These four years are so important, but many wish them away too quickly. Did you do everything you could to make them count?

Your first day of your freshman year of high school was a day you probably wish to forget. You walked into a new school filled with hundreds of unfamiliar faces. You wondered your way through the halls trying not to make a fool out of yourself. You kept quiet and didn't talk much to others being the awkward 15-year-old you were. That year you did well in your classes and you made some great friends. Nobody wants to be a freshman. Upperclassmen always looking down on you and lacking self confidence, thanks to those glorious teenage years. Being a freshman you just wanted to be a sophomore so you wished that year away.

You sophomore year then came around. A great summer was officially over and you were sad to be back in school. You hung out with the same friends as the year before and went along with the flow of daily life. You kept your head down and did as you were told just like any smart sophomore would do. You had no say in how things were run, after all who would listen to a sophomore? Being a sophomore you just want to participate like the upperclassmen. You wanted your own voice. You were tired of being pushed to the bottom with the underclassmen. You were displeased with yourself, you knew you wanted better, and you decided from then on you would dedicate yourself to improvement so you wished the rest of that year away.

You junior year was the turning point. You were finally an upperclassman. You hung out with the same friend group and dedicated yourself to achieving greatness. You pushed yourself to limits you thought were impossible and broadened your horizons. You were more mature and more vocal with your thoughts and opinions. You made new friends, you succeeded in your studies, you were happy, you were proud, you wanted to do it all over again. Every junior thinks about where they will be in a year. They think about where they will go to school, what they want to do in life, and of course graduating. In exactly one year, you would have your chance to graduate so you wished the rest of that year away.

The summer before senior year, you pushed yourself even more. You didn't just want to be great, but you needed to be great. You needed to succeed. You opened yourself to new experiences and they came flooding in. You spent time with your new friends, and the old ones stuck around too even the ones that graduated a year before you. You were happy and content and couldn't believe your luck. As the summer came to an end, we had an interesting talk about how you should cherish this last year since it only comes around once. You promised you would and that was it, only one more year left to go.

Finally, senior year came around. You were happier than you ever were and things seemed different about you. You were more confident, more proud, and more dedicated than you were before. You pushed yourself in both the classroom and out and visited all the colleges you could. You finally made a decision, a great one at that and was determined to finish the year strong. You went to every football and basketball game your school held and went to your senior prom. The anticipation for these events would linger but ended as quickly as they started. Time seemed to fly as you tried to cram the last bit of high school into a few short weeks. But soon enough it would be time to graduate and you wished the weeks leading up to the big event away.

Now you're here. The day you have been wishing for these past four years. Wishing each year was the next and continuing that cycle for four whole years. Now you are at this stage where you can't keep wishing for graduation to come soon enough because it is already here. You wished your four years of high school away. The four years that could have either been the best or the worst four years of your life or hopefully somewhere in between. Were they worth it? Were your four years of high school all you ever could have asked for and more? I look back at my four years of high school at the end of my freshman year of college and wish I utilized them better. I wish I spent more time with my friends and enjoying life rather than participating in the pointless drama. I wish I spent more time with my family before I went to college. I wish I participated more in events around my school because looking back at it now, I was more concerned about getting out of there instead of cherishing it in the moment. Now you're here, you're hopefully able to say you did all you could to cherish these four years. If you're one of the few that can honestly disagree than I have some helpful advice for you ... take all the regret you have of not being as happy, not participating, and not cherishing the moments you have into the next four years of your life.

College may not be exactly like high school, but it offers a do-over of some of the same experiences. You might get involved in unnecessary drama, you might be able to spend time with friends and family, or even participate in events around you. But knowing what you know now about high school and what you missed out on will allow you to make the most out of the next four years in life wherever they may lead you.

Love,

A 2015 Graduate