To say that these four years in high school didn’t change me would be a lie. I’ve learned so much not only about the world around me but also myself. I’ve taken my fair share of classes, gone through different friendships, and learned how to balance all of these different factors in my life. 

   Coming in freshman year, I didn’t really know what to expect. Right as I was getting used to the new normal of high school, from the new friendships to the difficult classes, it all immediately stopped. My opportunity to experience high school came to a halt and I was devastated. The last few months of my freshman year were spent at home with no schoolwork (yay!), but also no interactions with anyone but my family. 

    Then came sophomore year, and, to be completely honest, I don’t remember much of it. We were only coming into school two days a week with social distancing precautions and masks. 

   I had a lot of negative feelings about my first two years of high school being taken away from me. But, this was the first time that I was able to recognize growth in myself. I realized that these negative emotions wouldn’t fix anything, so there was no point in wasting my time. I also came to realize that every single person around me was experiencing similar, and maybe worse, things. 

   Since Covid was winding down, junior year came with new opportunities. I was able to play sports again which added lots of good and bad memories to the year. I was able to reconnect with my cheer team after completely disassociating myself during the year before. I started to break out of my shell and make new friends which really benefited me overall.

   But, with adding cheer, added the chance of injury. And that’s exactly what happened. I ended up hurting my arm and having to get an ulna shortening surgery on April 28th, 2022. I spent the rest of the school year and the entire summer with a cast on my dominant arm. 

   Yet again, I almost let something so small take away my happiness. But, I was able to immediately catch myself and not let it hurt me. I found a way to live my life like normal by still working, hiking and hanging out with my friends. 

    Then, senior year came. Even though I’m less than one week away from graduating, it’s still so hard to believe that I’m a senior. This past year has been amazing and it honestly did fly by. I was able to form connections with people that I fully believe will last a lifetime, and I’m so grateful for that. 

   Going through high school has taught me a lot. But, the most important thing that I learned was centered around compassion. Each person will go through their own experiences at their own pace. You will never know what others are dealing with so it’s important to always be compassionate. 

  With that being said, I want to thank Louisa. Thank you for allowing me to grow and become the person that I am today.