My years in high school have been a whirlwind. Starting from the torturous days at Central Junior High School, to the “glory days” as a senior, everything has changed so much. Looking back, though, I can’t really say I completely hated it or completely had the time of my life.

Maybe I wasted a lot of it. I kept to myself for the most part, I didn’t go to many social events, and I also didn’t really do the whole relationship-fall-in-love thing either. I guess I always thought that I would have time for those things in college when I don’t have the feeling that everyone I’ve known since kindergarden is breathing down my neck.

I did spend my time thinking about my life after high school, however, and looking back I really think I did the right thing. Plenty of time exists to play in the future and to find the people you need in your life later on – when things actually matter.

If there is some kind of advice I want to pass on to others who are going to be seniors, or even kids coming in from junior high, it’s this: Don’t do things for the sake of everyone else.

Keep yourself in mind so you can find and participate in the things that specifically interest you. Throughout school, I made swim, newspaper, and graphic design my top priorities. From swim I’ve gotten to find a sport that I truly love, diving, as well as competing at the state level.

From newspaper and graphic design, I feel like I’ve truly learned skills that are going to help me in the real world as well as sparked my interests for what I want to do in college and possibly later on in life.

Saying that, I really don’t feel the pressure of graduating (which I couldn’t be more happy about). I don’t have a lot of people I feel bad about leaving once I go to college. I have a plan already laid out for the next couple of years, and everything actually seems to be falling into place for me.

While I could be sad about my departure, I’m not. I’m ready for what is to come. I’m ready to leave. I’m ready to start my own life.