Along The Way

First off I would like to say that we have the most amazing graduates, looking around I can say that we have many students who will make marks on the world, some who already have. In my experience, I think back to last four years and think they were just the most. The most stressful, the most fun, the most experimental, and the most dull. During freshmen year, I had no idea what I was getting into (insert COVID reference here). I think a good chunk of us can say that we did not take online school seriously; I can say I put in zero effort (sorry, Mrs. Stubbs). In my sophomore year, although we were back in school, I still put in zero effort (sorry, Mrs. Stubbs). Junior year, I realized, ‘Oh, I need to put in effort’ and had zero skills to accommodate that (sorry, Mrs. Chick). and now, as a senior, I am giving this speech. (Sorry, Mr. Young).

Looking back at my school career, I am realizing that… I do not know what I have truly achieved, I do not have a moment in high school that I think was most important, something that transformed me. Many say it’s about the journey, not the destination. When you can look back from where you stand and be proud of how far you’ve come, for me, I look back and think, “Oh god, don’t tell me it was just the friends I made along the way!”. In all reality, I am glad I met the people I did; I didn’t grow up in the Oak Hill community. In fact, I moved every year since the fourth grade, only settling down midway through my freshman year. Thankfully,  despite my social ineptitude, I was accepted and (hopefully) managed to make some lifelong friends. from people to talk to someone who will grade my English assignments before they grace Mr. Young’s desk (thank you, Amalie). I may have had so-so-to-bad academics, and I may not have excelled in my extracurriculars, but I kept trying, I kept going, I kept experiencing, and I kept connecting. All in all, although it’s a bit of a cop-out, maybe it’s okay; it was the friends I made along the way. Hopefully, those friends will be enough motivation to get to the next stage in life, and in case I make it, thank you all, my friends, family, faculty, and peers, for giving me what it takes. If not, whoopsy Daisy.

“The Graduates” by Game of EPL5 & LUMIX G20/F1.7 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.