After four years of stressing, cramming and being far too overscheduled, it’s all done and over. It’s hard to believe that I’ve finally reached the last stage of metamorphosis, but I’m ready to break out of this sheltering cocoon called high school, spread my wings and glisten to somewhere far, far away. I can say that I’ve transformed into a butterfly, or at least more into something more eloquent and sophisticated than what I was when I first started high school. Not that it’s possible to organize my thoughts and reflections over the past few years into a list of four, but here is my best attempt: 1. iBall champs: This year my iBall team, the Single Ladies, won the final game of our illustrious careers, winning us the champion title and the famed “iBall Champion” shirts. After three years of just barely missing the championship round, we had finally won. Not only was it glorious to run onto the court as the clock striked 0.0 and celebrate with Beyoncé-esque dance moves and hugs, it was glorious to know that our hard work in a combined three year period finally paid off. I’ve encountered this many times throughout high school. If you have your eye set on the prize (perhaps those orange long sleeved shirts) and you work at it, things will always turn out in your favor. 2. Uganda: When you ask Mr. Mooney what Uganda is like, he might say something on the lines of, “Same planet, different world,” and that four word phrase describes what I encountered fairly accurately. Women with babies on their backs shoveling “muchanga” with us, the hundreds of children I met with dreams just like you and I, and the smiling people who cherish their loved ones – there are so many people to meet and so much to learn when you travel to a place like Uganda. Know that every single human has the capability to make a difference, and no matter how much money and fundraising it took to go to Uganda, learning that lesson on my own was priceless. 3. Teen spirit: Never in high school have I ever had a near-perfect GPA or near-perfect test scores. Listen, kids. There’s so much out there to explore and take advantage of in our community: concerts, clubs, sports, music. School is important to me, but to be completely honest being good at Physics or knowing every single APUSH term hasn’t helped me grow as a person and helped me discover my interests. Find your passions and make goals for yourself. Maybe memorizing terms is what you’re really into, but try new things (like cross country or violin for me). Studying can come afterwards. You never know when you’ll find a hobby that will stick with you for the rest of your life. 4. Don’t forget the flowers: I’m extremely guilty of complaining about high school and how much I want to get out of here, but I know that the fun and games I’ve had in this place won’t ever return. Parts of high school destroyed me. I’ve had people put me down, huge failures and losses, and my heart broken. Regardless, I’ve had great successes, great friends, great laughs, and overall an amazing time in this place; those are the things I’ll end up remembering about high school. No matter how much your heart aches or how much you just want to scream, don’t forget to smell the flowers and realize that right now, you’re still a kid and you’ve got it good. And so it goes.