As cliché as it sounds, these past four years have flown by. In my first year, I thought high school would be the longest, never-ending time of my life. Even though it sometimes feels like it, I find myself already buying my graduation dress and organizing my final prom bouquet.
Being a transfer student at WJ, my experience was quite different from that of my peers. I was adjusting to a school culture that was completely different from what I was used to, and it was rough finding my people. Before this, I knew almost everyone throughout middle and high school. I had established friendships and could safely know who I would spend my lunch with. Now, everyone had their established friend groups from middle school, and finding someone to spend lunch with was like trying to strike gold.
I became aware of The Pitch accidentally. Taking journalism as an elective during a free period at my old high school, I soon found out this was the gateway to becoming a member of the newspaper. Becoming a staff writer my sophomore year, I randomly sat at a table, which led me to make friends with my fellow EB members, Will and Maayan. I finally felt a sense of community through The Pitch.
Aside from that, I built strong connections during my junior year. The only way I was able to survive a double period of AP Biology was with my best friend, Addy. Doing TikTok dances through labs, witnessing flies sharing alleles in the love hotel, and sneaking my iPad to play relaxing games when learning about mitosis got too stressful. Even though junior year is, as they say, “like that”, I knew walking into 5th period would be one of the best moments of the year. I’ll forever cherish the moments of junior year when Ms. Liang would let out a giggle at me and Olivia’s butchered Spanish, or sneaking glances during end-of-year presentations with Jacob.
Being able to survive two of the most physically and emotionally demanding parts of my high school career with my two best friends, Jacob and Addy, helped me manage the most mentally challenging moments. From being attacked at a soccer game to being accepted into one of my top schools, these are the only two people I know I can consistently count on for moral support and I thank them for all they have done.
I can’t write a reflection on my past four years of high school without mentioning Mrs. Borrelli. Being a new student in a completely different environment and culture was hard, but Mrs. Borrelli never failed to make me feel included since my first day freshman year. Being a Pitch staff member under her advisory has led me to become not just a better writer, but also a better communicator, and a better collaborator.
As my senior year comes to an end, thank you to all of my best friends who shaped my high school experience for the better. To all the teachers who supported me and had faith in me, thank you for guiding me through the challenging moments of junior year.
