June 22, 2021
Every student goes into high school expecting their life to change. They are entering a new and unfamiliar world where their entire grade is seen as a group of invaders. Unfortunately, Ihad to experience this feeling twice in the first half of my freshman year. All the goals I originally had at my previous school faded when I was forced to once again find a place I could fit in.
I learned a meaningful lesson through this experience: having and working towards a goal is of utmost importance. The way to survive high school is to earn good grades, but students should take every opportunity to make great memories. While good grades help secure a bright future, living in the present is equally important. I am aware of how cliché that sounds, but on March 13, 2020, the world as we all knew it suddenly came to a standstill.
Yes, I have matured and changed since March 2020, but I still feel like a junior wondering what the rest of my year will look like. I still yearn for my junior prom and a proper senior experience.
That morning, I decided to stay home from school to study for the SAT that I was supposed to take the following morning. Spoiler alert: The test was canceled. It was a half day anyway, so I thought to myself, “How much could I possibly miss?” Turns out, I missed the last day of my traditional high school experience because I was too busy obsessing over the SAT and how that score would affect my college plans and the rest of my life.
The idea that in a couple of months I will be starting my first semester at Seton Hall University in South Orange where I will be pursuing a bachelor’s and master’s degree in international relations terrifies me. It terrifies me for the sole reason that, at heart, I believe I am still in 11th grade. Yes, I have matured and changed since March 2020, but I still feel like a junior wondering what the rest of my year will look like. I still yearn for my junior prom and a proper senior experience.
The past 15 months have led me on a journey to discover who I am in a world that changes in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, I can say I am not intimidated by the uncertainty of the future nor am I held back by “what ifs” about the past. I am excited to live in the present and eager to create wonderful, ordinary and dreadful memories because they will all lead me towards success and happiness.
