For the past four years, I have been forced to endure high school. It has felt like the worst time of my life because of all the meaningless drama with friends, endless amounts of schoolwork for subjects I don’t even care about, and ridiculous fights with my seemingly ignorant parents. I have been convinced that high school has been nothing but a waste of my time. As graduation is rapidly approaching, though, my mindset about this chapter in my life is changing profoundly.
When I first entered freshman year, the countdown began. I spent the entire year wishing my life away, longing to become a sophomore and finally being able to drive. When that finally came around, I soon lost interest in driving and focused all of my efforts on trying to be cool and gain the respect of the upperclassmen. After doing so (and unknowingly completely alienating myself from my own class), I became overwhelmed with AP courses and the ACT my junior year.
When I finally got to my senior year, I did some self-reflection. I asked myself, “Who am I going to become when I finally get out of here?” and “What areas of my life do I need to improve on before I end this chapter?” It was then that I realized, my high school career had been wasted time; but, it was not because of the circumstances I was in, it was the attitude that I had.I have so many wonderful memories from high school that will stay with me for the rest of my life, but I regret not taking the time to realize how special that time was whenever it was happening.
Now that I have come to this realization, I would like to thank all of those who helped me through this important time of my life. To the teachers who worked so hard to motivate me and help me reach my full potential, to my friends who helped me have the best experiences, and most importantly to my patient, loving parents, I would like to offer a most sincere thanks for helping me through this time of my life.
To those who are about to enter high school and those who are there now, let me extend some advice so that you don’t make the same mistakes I made. Savor the moments that you have in high school, because it truly is one of the best times of your life. Also, spend this time doing things that you find enjoyable rather than trying to do things to please others. I think the most important piece of advice I can give, though, is to listen to your parents, teachers, and anyone else who provides guidance to you. Although they seem overbearing and unreasonable now, you will one day realize that they are your biggest advocates and they know much more than you imagine. Graduation comes much faster than you imagine, so don’t wish the precious time you have left away.
By: Mary Kate Holladay
