I never thought it would be like this. It’s not that I didn’t think this day would come, or that I never thought about what it would be like, but I never would’ve imagined it would feel like this. I’m surprisingly ready to move on and be done with the place that I’ve spent my last four years in, and while that’s sad in a way, the only thing to do at this point is to embrace the change. Embrace what’s next and leave the old place of FHC behind. But even though I’m highly excited for the future, that doesn’t make it any easier to move on and move away. And that leads me to my reason for writing and sharing my final words of wit and wisdom.

My first thought in deciding what to write about was that I wanted it to be a message that seniors could take with them and help them ease the process of moving on from high school and into the real world. But I didn’t want some cliche message that anyone could give. I wanted it to be lasting and different and helpful. Therefore, my final words are a hint of advice for the seniors of now and the seniors to come, for those undergoing the daunting task of facing the future in its scariest form. Because it’s impossible to understand; it’s impossible to comprehend the range of emotions until you’ve been put in the situation. And not thrown into it viciously, but slowly crawled, inch by inch, day by day, until looking up you find yourself at the end. It’s scary. And it’s exciting. And most certainly it’s overwhelming. So let me help you through it.

Let’s jump back to the beginning, both of this column and the general beginning of how we all got here today. I know you’ve made good friends, you can’t survive high school without them. And I know you’ve made good memories because that’s what friends do. But now it’s time to close doors, and it’s a sad reality to face. The fact is you’re not all going to the same college, and you’re not all going to stay in touch. It’s not high school anymore and being stuck in something you’re no longer a part of isn’t going to lead you in the right direction. There has to be a sense of moving on. A sense of realization that what has happened is done and in the past and is only memories now. And that’s what it’s meant to be. A fond memory of a great place with great people in it. Moving on doesn’t diminish anything that has happened or make it any less fun to remember, but it does make it easier to handle the future because college isn’t the easiest thing. College is fun, don’t get me wrong, but it’s busy enough without having to drag the past of high school with it. Am I saying never talk to anyone from high school ever again? No, that’s called burning bridges, and it’s a good way to not have any friends to hang out with over winter break your first year back. But what I am saying is that leaving high school behind is inevitable, time passes and people and places move on. So do the same and move with it, don’t fight the current of time because that’s not a winnable battle. If you’re looking for a small bit of comfort in this message, I don’t have lot for you because college is scary, and moving away from every comfort you’ve ever known is in its name uncomfortable, but there is some solace. Ask anyone who’s been through college, and they don’t talk much about high school anymore. They talk about college and how fun, exciting, tiring, and yet rewarding it is. They’ve moved on. So it may seem hard, and there’s not much I or anyone can do to ease the transition into the new, adult world away from home, but no one said life was easy. That’s on you. It’s on you choosing to move forward and accepting that even though it’s tough now, what’s beyond high school is just as, if not more, fun and enjoyable than the days, months, and years that FHC has brought you. So goodbye and so long, because my final words are also my parting words to you, who made this experience of high school so much fun, yet also make this next step equally as difficult.