In life, you have to do what makes you happy. My goal in high school was to have no regrets. How did I come up with this goal you might ask? 

From watching the 9/11 Boatlift video in Mrs. Salt’s USII class sophomore year. In that video, Vincent Ardolino said, “I never wanna say the words ‘I should have.’ If I do it and I fail, I tried. If I do it and I succeed, better for me. Never go through life saying ‘I should have.’ If you wanna do something, you do it.” As much as I didn’t want to use a cliche quote in this, it’s too meaningful to leave it out. 

Whenever I didn’t feel like driving at least 30 minutes to get back to the Northborough/Southborough area for something I would have to remind myself that it’s the little spur-of-the-moment things that create lifelong memories. And that is how I have tried to shape my past four years, by saying yes to the little things, like going to Aero to study, supporting friends at their games, heading to Uhlman’s after school or just sitting in the parking lot chatting. 

Another important thing that left me without regrets was my involvement in extracurriculars. I vividly remember being told by my peer mentors at our outdoor COVID orientation in 2020 to get as involved as possible; I took that advice and ran with it. I have found so much joy in the little parts of school like dressing up for a spirit day, screaming “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus on the soccer bus after games, consuming copious amounts of munchkins at meetings before school and hanging out in the locker room every day after school. 

Getting involved at school has helped me connect with so many students, teachers and administrators, all of whom I have gained knowledge from. Without the long meetings, big events and hours of service I have experienced I would not be in the position I am today. So I want to say thank you to everyone who has been there and supported me with all the meetings, events and games I have been a part of during these past 4 years.

As my time at Algonquin comes to a close I urge those who come after me, and my fellow classmates as they embark on new chapters in their life, to do what truly makes them happy. Love yourself, be proud of who you are, and as Andy Grammar once said, “Only rainbows after rain.”