Everyone always talks about how fast high school goes by, and I’ve always just dismissed it, but now I finally understand what they mean. It honestly feels impossible that I’m already writing a final reflection instead of getting ready for another basketball season, Common Sense article, or test.
As I came into my first year, I thought the next four would feel a lot longer than they actually did. Freshman year felt like the beginning of something huge, and graduation seemed so far away that it wasn’t even something that you ever really thought would come. Somewhere along the way, though, the high school routine became normal, and I think that’s what sped up time so much.
Playing basketball all four years ended up meaning a lot more than I expected when I started. At first, it was just another commitment after school, nothing special. Over time, however, I began to realize that what I was gaining from being a part of the program was so much greater than anything else. A lot of what I learned didn’t even come from the games themselves, but from all the work leading up to them. Showing up every day, even when I didn’t want to, learning what it truly means to push myself and figuring out how to handle both successes and setbacks all started to translate into other areas of my life. It also forced me to have a certain level of accountability that carried over outside of basketball. If I wasn’t prepared or focused, it showed; there was no way of faking it. The relationships were probably the most unexpected part. Spending that much time together — practices, games, carpools, whatever else — creates a kind of bond between people that you don’t get anywhere else. If it weren’t for basketball, I wouldn’t be anywhere close to who I am today.
I learned quickly that high school required learning how to balance a full schedule. Between AP classes, basketball and other commitments, I had to become way more intentional with how I used my time. I can still remember sitting at my desk after getting home late from one of my first basketball games, my freshman year, completely exhausted, not even knowing where to start studying for my AP NSL and Spanish tests the next day. As I found myself in those situations more and more, I began to adapt to always having multiple things competing for my attention at once, and slowly figured out how to manage it all.
I’m also so grateful for all of the relationships I’ve built during my time at Wootton. Teachers, teammates, coaches, and friends all shaped my experience in so many different ways. Even small interactions end up mattering more than I expected, like how I met my future college roommate, just because we happened to randomly sit next to each other in a class my junior year.
Next year, I’ll be attending the University of Michigan. As someone who grew up supporting Michigan sports my entire life because of my family, it feels surreal that I’ll get to be a part of that community myself. Even though I’m excited and ready for what’s next, I’ll never forget the place and people that made my high school career as great as it was.
