High School: A Reflection

As a child, I never thought I’d make it to high school, let alone graduate. Now I’m sitting here, on my computer, in middle of summer, with nothing to do. I’m a high school graduate. I still don’t think that has actually sunk in quite yet. When I think of high school, I remember the good, the bad, and the ugly. No one makes it out of high school unscathed. And I was no exception. I went through my fair share of stress, loneliness, confusion, and heartbreak.

Freshman year. I will not lie. It was difficult. I was surrounded by all of these new people, trying to make friends, trying to find my place. I never felt like I fit in freshman year. Every day was something new. A new tradition. A new event. A new feeling. Football games. Homecoming. I wanted to do it all. Be involved in everything. Be successful at school. I was expecting high school to be like the movies. Hanging out with friends after school and on the weekends. Having that group of friends that was inseparable. But reality hit rather quick. High school is not like the movies. There will be no spontaneous singing and dancing. There is not that one new girl that changes everything. Granted, I did enter high school with a large friend group. We didn’t do everything together, nor did we hang out after school. Ever. But we were there for moral support. We were fresh out of middle school trying to find our way in a school of 2,000 people.

Sophomore year. I finally felt like I fit in. I had a place. There was a sense of routine. I knew what to expect at events. Football games were more fun. I don’t have much to say about sophomore year except that it was very uneventful. I was no longer a freshman, but I wasn’t quite an upperclassman. In reality, people forget about the sophomores. They just exist.

Junior year. This was a struggle. Life just didn’t want to give me a break. I had basically five core classes first semester. Honors Bio 2, French 2, AP Lit, AP US History, and Honors Algebra 2. It didn’t help that I had the hardest teachers in the school for AP Lit and Honors Algebra 2. It wasn’t uncommon for me to have two or more hours of homework a day. I didn’t get a break. My days consisted of trying to get through school, coming home, having an emotional and mental breakdown, doing homework until ungodly hours of the night/morning, and going to bed. I woke up the next day to live it all again. At the beginning of the year, my cat passed away. That was a difficult time. My grandfather passed away unexpectedly at the end of September. Life was super stressful. I had to miss school. My family was under a lot of stress. In December, my family came into town. The Christmas of 2012 was just like the movie Christmas Vacation. I am not joking. My grandmother was in and out of the hospital. Christmas was “cancelled” thanks to my dad and uncle. We had my mom’s surprise 50th birthday party. It was a mess. Needless to say, second semester was a lot easier. My course load was a little lighter. Daily emotional breakdowns turned into weekly emotional breakdowns. Things got better.

Senior year. I wish it never ended. In the moment, I just wanted to graduate. I wanted to get out of there. I was tired of the people I went to school with. My classes were a joke. I never had any homework. And I was basically babysat all day. Senior year was full of a lot of firsts. I had my first job. I worked retail at a consignment shop. It was really hectic and unorganized, and I struggle to work in an environment like that. My coworkers weren’t the best. I quit after six weeks. I had my first boyfriend. Two and a half months of good and bad moments. He ended things a month before prom which caused me a lot of stress. I couldn’t go to my senior prom without a date. I didn’t go to prom my junior year, and I wanted to go with a date. Luckily, I ended up asking one of my good guy friends, and I had the best time. He treated me better in those eight hours than my ex ever did. I went to NYC for the first time. And it was amazing. I now know why everyone loves New York City. It’s very inspirational. The energy there is indescribable. The last two months of senior year flew by. My best friend and I placed 2nd in our school talent show. I participated in the All-State Orchestra. I went to NYC. I went to prom. I graduated.

To any high schooler reading this, I have a few words of advice (especially for seniors). Take lots of pictures. Don’t say no to an opportunity (unless it’s illegal). Don’t turn away an invitation. Go to every school event you can. Go to prom. Go to after graduation festivities. Be spontaneous. Have fun. Be safe. Don’t regret not saying things. Know that high school is insignificant in the grand scheme of life. Don’t stress too much about school, but try your best. Don’t stress about college. You’ll end up where you’re supposed to. Know that the friends you come into high school with will most likely not be your friends when you leave. Soak in every moment.

-Abigail T.