with only 9 days of school left, i've really been reflecting on my time in high school. and i think a lot of people have as well. "how are u feeling about grad?" seems to be a popular conversation starter these days hahah
maybe because i'm quite the optimistic and sentimental type, but looking back i've loved my time in high school. of course, i'm feeling more than ready to graduate and move on to bigger and better things, but letting go of high school (and being a teenager) is a little sad for me. everyone says this, but it's because it's true: you remember the good times, with the good people you've met and connected with, doing things that made you feel good. you don't remember the workload or the number of practice essays you wrote, you remember those times in class when your teacher goes off on a tangent that balloons into a whole class bitch sesh. you remember the times you walk into the common room to be greeted with warm smiles and hellos. you remember the warm fuzzy feelings of running around the school with your friends. i remember the innocent laughter of my friends as we mucked around doing nothing because it was year 7 and we could. i remember panicking because we got caught changing in the hallways and not in the change rooms. i remember having fun performing with my dance group, even though the choreography was shit. spending hours on notes, practice papers, essays and questions isn't something i'll miss because it's not what defined my time in high school. i'm going to miss coming to school to a group of intelligent, funny, caring girls that made me feel safe and inspired and empowered (to say the least) - even if we wouldn't technically call each other 'friends'. i'm not going to miss the controlling executive of the school, but i'll miss the girls who stood up to them.
the high school environment that i was lucky enough to be immersed in taught me, as a young woman, to be strong, to be proud, to be caring, to be fun, to work hard... going into year 7 as a small, shy girl, these past six years have helped me break out of my comfort zone and become a young woman who has strong opinions (even though i'm still bad at voicing them), who is confident but who is also still learning and growing. my high school experience has helped me come to terms with the fact that 'perfect' doesn't exist, and that life is diverse and beautiful. high school has also taught me that friends are precious. and not just Friends but also friends and pals and acquaintances and people you know. the reason that i've grown so much is because of the girls around me. because they are so smart and because they are a wonderful support network. i love friends.
i am 18 now and ready to go out into the 'real world'. i am proud of myself!!! and i am proud of all the girls in the class of 2016!!!
Karen ♥