It has been almost three months since I’ve walked the halls of high school and the next steps of my life are starting to come into motion. At the start of 2018, I didn’t know where I would end up. I was so worried that when things would start to fall into place, I would crash. I am now here on the other side looking across on what was and looking forward to what will be.

Goodbyes are never easy, and I’ve found that sometimes someone else’s words can be more powerful than your own.

It was fitting, the last song I ever sang as a member of an FHC choir was at my own graduation. Our last piece together was “Rivers and Roads” by The Head and the Heart. I knew this song well before graduation, but I don’t think I ever truly understood it until just a few short days after the ceremony. Like the lyrics say in the song so simply, I will be leaving behind some of the greatest people I have ever met and I will be challenged to embrace change in a way I have never known.

All that I knew was the road that FHC paved for me so well. I walked on this path with my classmates and when I fell, I was picked up by this community time and time again. I learned every twist, bump and drop because this path was all I walked on for over 12 years. But now, I have reached the end of this trail. It’s time for me to find my own way and trust that my heart will lead me the right directions.

That being said, it’s finally time I go on my own. So, thank you FHC. Thank you for giving me everything these past years. Thank you for the copious amounts of support and love I was always given, but never once had to ask for. I am so grateful to each person who walked with me during my time here. You have all impacted my life in a way that is beyond comprehension.

No matter how much I would love to stay with you all, now it’s time for us to begin on our individuals paths. Where ever your compass takes you, you will all have a permanent place in my heart. They’re all just rivers and roads. We float on, we drive by, and we follow either fresh or old directions until we will meet again somewhere new.