The end of your senior year is a bittersweet moment. From this point forward, everything changes, from where I live to what I do. I’ll have to get a job, pay bills, and while this will bring with it a lot of worry and a lot of responsibility, I’ll gain something else, something worth every bit of pain or hardship, and that’s freedom. 

I know that when I look back on this experience I’ll cherish the memories I made. As an AP student, an NHS member, and an AcDec captain it felt like I was constantly running from one place to the next, barely having time to think before it was time to move. There were days when I felt like it too much, like I was trying to run faster than my legs could go. There were days when I felt like I was being crushed by my own expectations. Some days I dreaded going to school, but knew that missing it would only make things worse. Some of those days when I was up late doing homework or studying for AcDec state, I questioned whether I should’ve just taken the easy route and saved myself a lot of stress. 

But then there days of triumph, days of victory, days of fun. I can still feel the weight of a trophy being settled in my hands as they declare me top scholar. I can still see the looks in my friends’ faces as we sat in the cafeteria and talked about nothing at all. I can still hear the sounds of feet shuffling on a marble floor as I swayed along to my first slow song. So while there were bad days when I wished it would all go away, there were also good days, the ones that made it all worthwhile.

I’m leaving Bingham High a different person than how I arrived. I’ve had friends, teammates, and leaders who have all inspired me to be better; kinder, more compassionate, and more confident. Above all it has been teachers that have been the driving force behind my success. They’re the ones who never gave up on me, who taught me that hard work and perseverance pave the way to triumph. I’ve gained not just a knowledge of music or science or math, but a deeper appreciation for the world around me. Most importantly, I’ve also been taught that success isn’t defined by how many friends you have or how many medals you win. It’s up to us to live a life we can be proud of. For me that means being a good person and working hard to achieve something worth doing.

While my last days in high school weren’t quite what I imagined, it’s been an adventure. I’ve faced challenges, then failed, and rose to take on more. I’ve met people I never would have guessed would become my best friends and I’ve said goodbyes I didn’t know would be my last. 

Wherever I go now is up to me. For nearly eighteen years I’ve built up to this moment, when I leave to figure out my next step, and no one, nothing, not even a global pandemic, can take that away from me.