Dear Graduates,
It is time to throw your cap high in the air along with all the stress and drama of high school! Four years of late nights, mountains of homework, standardized tests, and more importantly laughter and fun has come to a bittersweet end. As each day of senior year rapidly passes by we see the finish line approach closer and closer. And as much as we may hate to admit it we all start to care a little less each day, as the highly contagious senioritis spreads throughout our school. As our focus narrows to the finish line of high school we must remember to not take these moments for granted. Do not sit around waiting to graduate; instead make irreplaceable memories and reflect on your own voyage.
The last few weeks of senior year will fly by and this chapter of your book is quickly coming to an end. Take some time to remember your personal journey. The person you were freshman year. The friends you made that maybe you kept or maybe you did not throughout these four years. The smiles of classmates passing you in the hall. The bright lights of the football field on a Friday night. The long cafeteria line that you complained about everyday. Remember your highs and lows. The times you laughed all night with your friends at 3 a.m. The times you crumbled from stress.
Think about who you are as a person. Ask yourself if you are happy with this person. Is it the way you want your classmates to remember you when you walk out the doors on the last day of school? No one will remember you for your social status and the parties you went to. They will remember you for who you are as a person and the way you have carried yourself over the last four years. The times you were there for a friend or helped someone in the hallway. Your character and your actions are what really matter.
High school is four years of mistakes and disasters. We have all made mistakes and it is important to reflect on those too. Mistakes are part of who we are and they can make us a better person, or not. Maybe there were times in high school when you were not the nicest person or did something you should not have done. Now is the time to fix this. Do not dwell on your mistakes; mend your broken friendships and apologize to those you hurt. You do not want to throw your cap in the air and have regrets about high school holding you down.
In these last few weeks of high school remember who helped you in your journey. Thank your parents, family, and friends for their support and do not take them for granted. As much as you may want to spend the whole summer with your friends enjoying their company, do not forget about your parents: you are saying goodbye to them too. High school strains relationships with your parents and there were probably days when you wish you could have just packed your bags then and left for college already. But no matter how much you fight with your parents remember that they support you and they have been there for you for all the nights of tears and drama. In a few years the petty fights will fade away, but their love and support will never leave you and you will thank them for all their love.
As graduation quickly approaches some doors will be closing but bigger doors are opening. Senior year is the year of lasts but more importantly it is the start of a new journey. There is no need to rush into this new chapter of your life and figure everything out right now. You do not need to know what you will study in college or what your future career will be. Although you are on your way into the “real world”, remember you are still only a young adult and there is no need to stress yourself out. One day when you return to your high school and write yourself a visitors pass you will ask yourself, “Why was in such a hurry to grow up?” Enjoy these last few weeks and remember the good times and the bad times of high schools and reflect on your own journey through high school. The finish line is quickly approaching and it is acceptable to be emotional as you say your last goodbyes. These past four years of your life will be some of the best memories; more importantly they have laid a foundation down for who are you. Build off of these experiences as you start the next chapter of your life.
Sincerely,
A Graduating Senior
