I’ll put a full disclaimer at the beginning that this senior column doesn’t feel original in any way. After seeing a few from my friends and from previous years, they all start to blur together into a mass of shared emotions that everyone is going through at the same time: nostalgia, regret, sadness, and a bit of optimism as your future comes nearer and nearer. Maybe you can relate, maybe you can’t, but all you’ll find here are vague, cliched generalizations slowly transitioning into a sappy feels sesh with a touch of angst.

I’m going to try to end this on an optimistic note, which means I have to start with the bad stuff: my regrets. Don’t make the mistake I did and be a lazy bum for the first 1-2 years, getting involved in activities makes your time feel much more worthwhile. Even more importantly, don’t hold on to the memories of good experiences for too long. People change, time moves on, and if you spend too much time dwelling on the past you’ll forget there are always new, better experiences to be had, even if they are completely different.

As the days until graduation approach the single digits, the joys of finally being released are obscured by a thick cloud of sadness. I’m enjoying these days more than I ever have before in my stay here, and that is 100% because of the people in them. The closer we get to each going our respective ways, the more I realize just how much the people I’m around make my day worthwhile. I’ve begun to appreciate just about every person I come in contact with nowadays, and they’ve certainly helped me understand myself and become a better person. Its come to the point that I actually wake up in the morning wanting to come to school, just so that I can be around them for a few more hours. I love you guys, there’s no other way to put it.

Now that my emotions are in check again, I’ll end this with a bit of hope for the future. When I think about what I’ll be doing this September, a year after that, and really for the rest of my life, I realize it’s completely up to me. I’ve actually really enjoyed my time in high school, but I have so many more decisions to make, and for the first time the ability to make myself who I want to be. I guess the next step is figuring out who that truly is.