Dear Class of 2021, 

I am sorry. In the midst of a global pandemic, racial injustice and a declining environment, you were expected to have the best year of your high school career. 

I am sorry you organized protests instead of prom, and virtual birthday parties instead of skip days. You had every right to roam the halls with a cloud over our head, reminiscing about what could have been. But you didn’t. 

Looking back, I believe that the biggest lesson I learned is that life goes on. Entering the halls of this big school with seven different notebooks in my bag, my life was centered around school. All I wanted to do was get that coveted A grade, and then if I kept doing that I believed I would achieve happiness and success. That mentality was quickly proved wrong when I had the grades I wanted, yet I still was not content with my life. Everyone thought I was perfect yet behind closed doors I was struggling. Struggling to define myself, my goals and my direction for the next four years. In the process of drowning myself with school and extracurriculars, life went on.  

Outside of the walls of Algonquin, there is a whole world of people. Tall, short, rich, poor: so many perspectives to learn and hear from. When one takes a moment to listen to these perspectives, you realize that high school is just a blink in your lifetime.  I learned that there are bigger issues in the world than who’s boyfriend went out with who or where you are going to sit at lunch. The most successful people are not the ones who do not go through hard times, but the ones who know how to move on from them. Your reactions define the course of your life. 

And to the rest of Algonquin: 

Life will go on. Make the most of that spirit week that “nobody else is doing.” Go to that Winter Ball. Watch the sunrise before school starts. Live in the moment. College will be there when it happens. But you will definitely regret wasting four years of your life caught up in what could possibly be instead of what is. You got this.

Sincerely, 

Edna