I have been a member of The Harbinger since my freshman year, yet not even my experience as a journalist has prepared me to write my senior reflection. Brainstorming a topic has been nothing short of a challenge, as millions of little ideas have drifted in and out of my mind. I finally realized that my senior reflection will not be able to follow a common theme, simply because high school itself does not follow a common theme. With that being said, here are a few moments and lessons I’ve been gathering since 2020. 

Be outgoing. Starting high school at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced me to break out of my shell. My class sizes were small and my opportunities to socialize were limited, which in turn made me want to socialize more. The desire to make new friends stayed with me throughout my high school years and has resulted in some of my best friendships. It’s better to be called annoying or loud than to miss out on the opportunity to connect with someone. 

Go to school events. Some of my best memories are from the school carnival, sporting events or pep rallies. I urge you to attend as many football games as possible, go all-out for spirit days and buy your Winter Ball ticket. Have pride in Algonquin and make the most of your high school experience. In the grand scheme of things, you will never regret attending a school event but you may wonder what you missed out on. 

Don’t plan too much. This is my final and most important piece of advice. It may be controversial, but it’s coming from someone who would plan out every second of their life if it was possible. The reason I say “don’t plan” is because plans always change, and one of the lessons I learned is that you need to accept change. I started freshman year believing that I would attend college in Florida, major in journalism and move to New York City after I earned my degree… I am now attending college in Louisiana, studying environmental science and public health and have no plans for after college. I’ll admit that I went through an absolute crisis when I realized that my original plans no longer aligned with my dreams, but it’s all part of the process. You need to accept that your plans will change, but it’s not as scary as it sounds because you’ll be changing right along with them.