Realizing your high school years are coming to a close is crazy. One moment your life is calm (well, as calm as it can be in high school) and the next everything hits you like a brick. Thirteen years of public school gone in the blink of an eye. Good riddance.

It’s safe to say that up until this year high school was the cause of all my problems. Every day was a fight. Figuring out how to juggle AP classes, sports and clubs, while still having a social and family life is tiring. The stress of all my responsibilities was weighing down on me, but I didn’t realize how bad everything had gotten until it was almost too late.

Most teenagers deal with some form of anxiety or self-doubt during their seemingly endless years in school, so of course, I thought it was a phase that would soon pass. I was wrong.

I’ll spare the details, but with the help of my parents, especially my superhero mom, and patient friends, I was able to set myself on a new path. I’ve almost got my life figured out and it’s exciting as heck.

The lessons I have learned from these past four years really will stick with me for the rest of my life. Mistakes were made, goals were accomplished and lessons were learned. I always used to worry about what I wore or how I acted but in the end it never really mattered. I’ve made friendships to last a lifetime (the best kind) while also learning how to love myself and respect everyone around me. It’s finally over and I wouldn’t change a thing. My friends, family and I have grown so much throughout my school years.

Now it’s nearing the end of senior year and every memory is flooding back into my mind. No matter how much stress and grief high school has brought me, I’ll hold the good times close to my heart. Now comes our new beginnings; the hard part. If high school is where you find yourself, college must be where you make yourself. Thank you senior year. Goodbye.

To the cheeto to my sloth, we really need a secret handshake. I’m serious. You listen to all my pointless complaining even when I suck at listening to yours. There’s not much I can express in writing, but even though we hate each other sometimes, you’ve always been there for me and I really want to thank you for that.

To my concert loser, I really wanted to put a bunch of band references in here but not today. Thank you so much for tolerating my crazy antics for all of these impossible years. Even though you’re (one of those) crazy girls and your car radio sucks, I love you so much and thanks for not stressing me out.

To my art buddy and my cho, y’all are both wild and I love you for it. You’ve both made me laugh and smile so hard that the muscles in my face hurt. Keep being smart and beautiful and just plain amazing. I know you’ll both do amazing things in your lifetime.