When I was getting ready to go to high school, I was scared. Scared to start a new chapter of my life, scared to try out for volleyball, meet new people, and scared of how intense it all looked from the outside. I feel like a lot of people who are first entering high school feel the same way, and it does not always have to be a “bad” scared, but I think we can all agree we all had mixed emotions about starting high school. As a senior, during this global pandemic with school being closed, me along with my class are having to miss out on the end of our senior year. We are missing prom, spring sports seasons, and enjoying the last couple weeks of our classes with some of our favorite teachers and friends. A time we all had been looking forward to since we first stepped on campus in 2016 was abruptly ended for reasons we cannot control. However, I am writing this in hopes that all readers will take some advice regarding how special your high school years are and that when it is your turn to “rule the school,” you will take risks, have fun, and live every moment like it is your last.

  Our adolescent years are scientifically defined as a period of life with specific growth, developmental needs, and rights. It is also a time full of developing knowledge and skills, managing emotions and relationships, and acquiring abilities that will be beneficial for adulthood. High school provides you with an environment to grow, take risks, and become independent, making all of the hard work and long hours worth it in the end. For the majority of high school students, we get a little lazy. We say things like “Ugh, I’m so ready to graduate,” and more along those lines. I know because I was one of these people and now that I am a senior, I regret saying those things. Instead of simply going through the motions, think of it as a time that you get to enjoy with friends that you will have for a lifetime. A time where you can go be crazy Maniacs in the student section, go off-campus in a car full of your friends, play your last high school season in a sport you have played your entire life, and a time where you have all of your friends in one place for only four years. It is important and healthy for you to look back at it not with regret but with satisfaction that you enjoyed every day instead of subconsciously wishing it away. 

  I told myself at the start of my senior year that I would enjoy every single part of it: the football and basketball games, my last volleyball season, going off-campus for lunch every day with my friends, prom, and every single day I walked on to the campus. Because none of us knew this would be the end, we did not know to take advantage of every single moment. However, looking back, I can say that I enjoyed my short but amazing senior year because I took my own advice and told myself that high school has been the best experience. I hope that everyone reading this will take this advice into their own lives as they finish high school or start it. High school is absolutely amazing, and is not as intense as it seems; do not rush your teenage years away as they are the most important years of life to make memories and friends that will last a lifetime.