When I walked into the doors of Algonquin, as a scared, socially awkward 14-year-old with a mask on, I didn’t know what high school would look like for me. I am about to walk out four years later, with so much growth and excitement for the future (and a huge glow up). If I could give one piece of advice to the incoming freshman, it would be to stop working so hard. It really isn’t worth worrying about how a 95 versus a 96 will affect your grade. I’m sure all of my teachers, and parents, would be pissed at me saying this, but the advice is valuable.
As I wrap up my four long years at Algonquin and reflect upon my time here, I am not remembering the nights studying for Chem until 1 a.m. (sorry Mrs. Zanini), but am instead looking back on all the incredible memories spent with my friends. And while I try not to regret many things in life, the one thing I do regret is not having more fun in high school. So the next time you say no to your friends in order to study, put that textbook down and go have fun. Being a kid with no real responsibilities is the biggest privilege of being a high school student, and go have fun while you can.
With “Most likely to never come back to the Boros” as my senior superlative, I am certainly excited to leave this small town behind and move 2,000 miles away, but I also feel extremely sentimental about the people I’ll never see again and the places I’ll never go again. It can be easy to get bored here and be ready to leave as soon as possible, but it is important to make the most of the little time you have left here. Even though it seems like some of the decisions you make in high school impact the rest of your life, it isn’t worth stressing that much over the future when there is so much to live for in the present.
High school is a very unique time, and graduating is the gateway to the rest of your life. I feel like I have spent such a significant amount of time thinking about what’s next, whether it be my classes for the following year, where I am going to college or how I want to spend my career. But while I was thinking about the future almost constantly, time flew by, and before I knew it, high school was over.
