As the sun set behind the Lincoln Memorial on prom night, I felt a deep sense of gratitude. I stood on the steps looking down at the crowd of WJ seniors taking pictures by the reflecting pool. Some of them have been my friends since birth, or since elementary school. Many of them were people I met in middle school or high school. And I even met a few of them just this year. My friends and I made our way down the steps and time flew by as we chatted and took pictures with people I have known from different parts of the last four years.
With every new face came a wave of excitement, and a chance to capture a memory and a relationship to look back on in years to come. It was so special to enjoy the evening with good friends and reconnect with people I hadn’t spoken with in a long time. While this may have been the best moment of my high school experience, it was bittersweet to think that it was one of the last times we would all be together as the class of 2025.
Looking back on the past four years, my favorite memories have taken place outside of school. I realize that although WJ is what brought us all together, what has made my high school experience meaningful is the people, not the place. I’m so lucky to have had the chance to connect with hundreds of unique people through different classes, clubs and activities. It has been remarkable to watch the different people and groups that I know separately interconnect to form one large WJ community of which I am proud to be a part.
An important part of this WJ community for me has been The Pitch. I always expected to join The Pitch, as my cousins and sister had. When I began Journalism 1, I immediately enjoyed how writing articles and designing pages allowed me to express my creativity. In my first year on the staff of The Pitch, I continued to learn and improve, building relationships with amazing people I would likely never get to know on a deeper level otherwise. And in my senior year, I have had the opportunity to grow as a leader as part of the editorial board.
Mrs. Borrelli has helped us build a community based on collaboration and understanding in The Pitch that has taught me so much over the past few years. It’s rare to have a teacher so dedicated and passionate about helping their students not only learn and succeed, but become better people. Mrs. Borrelli, thank you for making The Pitch such a special and important experience, not only for my classmates and I, but also for my family members who came to The Pitch before me.
As we finish the school year and say goodbye to WJ, I often find myself feeling the same bittersweet feeling I felt on prom night. It’s hard to think that some of the relationships I have may fade as I transition to college. But in high school, I have learned how to connect with different people and build a community, something I know will be valuable in college as well. I’m ready to take the next step and explore new opportunities, but not without those pictures from prom night.
