Photo courtesy of Lifetouch

Here we go again. It’s 10:49 p.m. on a Sunday night and I’m sitting at the kitchen table writing this reflection, powered only by the two hour nap I took after school and the iced coffee I drank three hours ago, just as I’ve completed about 90% of my assignments for the past four years. I’m sitting here and thinking about whether or not I would change anything about my high school experience. What would that awkward freshman I once was think of this slightly less awkward senior I became? Did high school live up to my expectations? Was it everything that I had imagined it to be, given that much of what I knew about high school before I started had been taught to me by movies and TV shows?

The answer is no. Simply because my perception of high school was from a glamorized and nonexistent reality of what high school really is. Although it wasn’t what I had expected, I wouldn’t go back and change anything about it. It sounds lame and has probably been said countless times but these past few years, as chaotic as they have been, have shaped me into the person I am today. Through the people that I’ve met and the many opportunities that have been made available to me throughout my time here has taught me so much and forced me to grow.

Sure, when I talk about learning in school I could talk about calculus and history classes but really I learned the most from the people around me. The relationships formed with my friends and teachers in school taught me the most about the world around me. Realizing that people change and that everything really is only temporary. Understanding that my present situation is only one stop throughout my life and is in no way my final destination.

I’ve learned to let go of a lot of my all-consuming perfectionism. I’ve started to take things less seriously and learned to laugh at myself instead of judging something that only I would ever remember. To stop looking back on all of my extremely embarrassing moments in such a negative light while somehow transforming them into a more positive experience. One that I can look back on and laugh at because of course there are things in life that are meant to be taken seriously but being so uptight just makes everything ten times more stressful than it has to be. I’ve also learned the importance of a sense of self and identity. To experiment with different activities both inside and outside of school to find what I liked and what I didn’t. Finding these things throughout high school provided me with the support that I felt like I needed. I stopped doing things because I felt that I had to but because I wanted to.

While I still don’t know exactly who I am or what I specifically want to do with my life, I’m grateful for the many opportunities here at WJ to begin to uncover this overwhelming and philosophical mystery. I’m grateful for my three friends who have made nothing but a positive impact on my life. And last but not least, I’m grateful for all of my teachers but especially for Ms. Borrelli. Thank you for always creating such a welcoming environment and showing how you genuinely care for all of your students. 193 will forever be my favorite classroom in all of WJ.