When you tell people you are starting high school, the first thing they say is how fast the four years go by. Every time I heard this I always thought they were lying because how could four years go by that quick? If only I knew how quick it would go and how much I would miss high school once I left. 

When I walked into the school for freshman year, I was terrified. Petrified to say the least. I set the lockscreen of my phone to my class schedule and refused to change it for the whole semester because I was scared I would get lost. I refused to go any other way to class because I finally had my route down. By the time I got comfortable in the school, it was a new semester with new classes and I had to reset my lock screen and find a new route. I was the student that would freak out if I got a point off on a test (little did I know how little that one point mattered in the long run). Eventually, I started making new friends and finding my place. Little did I know those people would become my ride or die in life. 

As I walked into school for sophomore year, I was more calm than the year before because I found my friend group and all I had to do was survive school now. The study sessions for AP tests and late night calls with friends are memories that I will cherish forever. I will never forget walking around the school during lunch to visit my friends who sat in different hallways and cramming for tests I had the next period. Over time I learned to let loose more and have fun in the process of high school. I became more comfortable and gained confidence.

Junior year. Everyone says it is the worst year ever and realistically it is only as bad as you make it. I knew that I could not take a million AP classes while trying to sustain a social life, study for the SAT, and maintain a job. Balance is key. This is the year that I laughed the most in my classes and also cried the most because I could not meet my own expectations. I had no idea how much life would change when the pandemic hit.

Senior year started and so did the stress of applying to college. After committing to University of Pittsburgh, I did keep working hard in school and tried not to let senioritis get the best of me. I still set unrealistic goals for myself and was my own harshest critic when it came to school. Fourth quarter this year is when it started hitting me that a grade on a test doesn’t define me as a person and grades are not everything. When this finally set in, I was able to enjoy times with my friends more without having school in the back of my mind. 

After four years of high school, I learned that challenging yourself is important, but so is setting realistic goals and expectations. I also learned that the drama does not matter. There will be drama with friends, but you find who is a real friend and will stick by you when things get hard. Remembering that you are more than a grade and a score is important and they are not everything. Live high school to the fullest because you don’t want to live with regrets. As I say goodbye to the high school chapter of my life and start a new chapter in Pittsburgh becoming a nurse I want to thank Wootton for pushing me to be the best I can be and for teaching me everything I know.