June 5, 2026
2016 was the year I moved to the United States, and life as I knew it changed.
Everything about American education — the environment, expectations and schedule — was different from what I experienced in Nigeria. Even the way people interacted and spoke was new to me.
From then on, change became normal. For the next six years, I never spent more than two years in a school before having to start over. Every time I got comfortable, it was time to leave again.
Whether it was because I was graduating or because it was March 2020, and our landlord kicked us out with nowhere to go during the pandemic, I never got the chance to establish myself.
By high school, I had learned to adapt quickly, but as I listened to principal Ms. Vuono and former vice principal Mr. Venezia speak during orientation, I knew I wanted my experience to be different.
Freshman year, I carried the same worries I always had entering a new school: Would I make friends? Would I fit in? But unlike before, I had time to answer these questions. I wasn’t on a countdown as I built friendships, discovered my interests and mastered new routines.
High school taught me far more than academics. It taught me to be engaged and value normal days, which mean more than the big events ever could.
This ending feels particularly meaningful because it’s not just the conclusion of my time in high school, but the culmination of a decade-long cycle that taught me how to begin again.
There were memorable milestones, like my last varsity volleyball game and band performances, but what I’ll miss most are the everyday moments: walks to class, hallway conversations and sharing inside jokes with friends.
Underclassmen, my advice is this: be present enough to notice the people around you. Stay still, and immerse yourself in the experience.
As I look ahead to studying exercise science at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, I’m excited to start something new. This time, I’m not afraid of the unknown because I’m prepared to handle any challenges I face.
This ending feels particularly meaningful because it’s not just the conclusion of my time in high school, but the culmination of a decade-long cycle that taught me how to begin again.
I’m so grateful I stayed at LHS long enough to experience it fully. What started as a pattern of constant change became four years of lessons, memories and stability that shaped my identity.
