It’s odd, and it still hasn’t totally “sunk in” yet that I will only spend roughly one more month as an enrolled student at FHC. The final push, the home stretch, the last little bit of what I have known for four years will suddenly no longer be a part of my life, but rather apart. And as I am slowly beginning to realize that this chapter of my life is about to end and that the end of senior year is actually “real,” I am also realizing that an unknown chapter of unknown territory in my life is about to begin.

My hard work has finally paid off. Everything that students are told to strive for and accomplish is something that I have achieved. Terribly long essays, 3 a.m. studying sessions for a science test, the analyzing and critiquing of literature, preparation for public speaking, and so much more has all led up to what I have been working towards for 12 years: graduation.

Not only am I saying “farewell” to what has pushed my academic limits, but I’m also having to let go of the friendships that I have gained, even some dating back from my elementary days at Pine Ridge. It’s another worrisome concept that I am trying to understand. Each of my friends are on their own individual paths of life, and I was only a stop along the way. And though our paths may cross again in the future, we’ll all be focusing on our present and our own lives.

Spontaneous plans with my fellow seniors are something that will no longer be a daily occurence. These spontaneous plans will turn into spontaneous plans with new people that only be in my life for a short period of time, and then they’ll be gone, continuing their path of life as I continue mine.

FHC is only the starting point, and receiving our diplomas next month symbolizes the “ready, set, go” to adulthood, celebrating what our futures hold.

One day, I’ll be a visitor of FHC and not a student, as we all will be. And if we happen to run into each other, we’ll share our life experiences, what we have accomplished, and what has yet to come, because the clock will never stop ticking, giving us a never-ending time span to fulfill our lives with the positivity of the future.

Although some of this may seem depressing, it’s not meant to be. We shouldn’t think of graduation as a time to be sad because of what we’re leaving behind. There’s a reason it’s a celebration– we’re saying “cheers to the future” and whatever it has to hold for each of us.

This is only a short period in our lives, four years. And as the chapter of this point in our lives ends and says “Goodbye,” another begins and says “Hello.”