I’m Graduating from High School This Year

artwork by Brent Jones

I remember my mother telling me that high school will be the best time of your life so take advantage of it. And I thought to myself, yeah right. I tried to make it but it’s just not for me. Probably because an almost three-year-pandemic happens, and it’s still happening as I write this.

This is my last year of high school and I really feel like I haven’t had the high school experience that almost everyone else had. I’m stressing about everything. A classmate of mine have died last year, I’m regretting my major, many years dealing with strict teachers, so much work, losing friends, being excluded.

But most of the time, I’m enjoying it. I was able to at least get along. It was fun, actually, I thank the one who has been making my high school life a little bit unique — which is a weird choice of word but that’s what it is — since the first time I entered high school. I also am grateful for my friends who have been there.

I’ve been in school in my entire life, and now that I’m being thrown into a harder, more difficult, more stressing stage of life; nevertheless, I have to move forward and be prepared. I think it’s obvious that wherever you’re going to be, you’ll find out how easier life back then. You have to face a huge switch up and that’s just what life is.

I can say that the vast majority of friends that we have in high school will disappear unless we put effort to always catch up every now and then. There may be a couple of people who may maintain friendships but people move to different colleges and locations. People change, make new friends, find a job, or even find someone to be in a relationship with, maybe even marry and possibly have children. The people that you try to keep in your life will get busier and busier.

As much as you may feel that it would suck for you to leave high school, I would suggest embracing the shift and change as well as embrace meeting new people and being exposed to situations and experiences. Think of it as a new adventures beyond high school with new and better opportunities. I personally don’t know exactly what I want to be and I’m sure it’s not only me. It’s fine, we have years to figure it out.

It’s both insane and amazing to think that each of us has a different way of life. Among all the people around the world, we have our own destiny. It’s no use worrying too much about it, all we have to do is actually plan and play our roles, plant and pray our goals. Becoming an adult scares almost everyone but it opens the door to more experiences.

Congratulations!