Walking into dance and looking around at how much has changed since I first started, it’s crazy. I have grown up with dance as a huge part of my life and taking a step back and making the decision not to dance was astonishing not only to myself but to my parents as well. The decision was not an easy one but one that I felt had to be made in order to have a strong end to my high school career, and to de-stress my life a little bit.

I have never been a part of a school team besides wrestling this year and Visual Unit in the fall; other than that my activities have always been separate from Forest Hills because of all the time that I have spent practicing and competing. But as I have grown older it has felt like I have been left out of things, it has felt like I haven’t made relationships with my peers, and in all honesty, while being friends with everyone is not my goal, being friends with more than just the people inside my group is very important to me.  

So, as I have gone through high school I have wanted to be involved in things which is why I chose to be a part of Visual Unit and also to manage the wrestling team. Now, going into my senior year, cutting out eighteen hours or more of dance will open up a lot of opportunities for me. And that excites me.

Although I love dance and I want to continue to get better, in a year I won’t be dancing as I make my way to college. For this reason, making the most of my senior year is something that is important to me. I like being included and being able to support our school sports, and I look forward to being able to focus on my academics and the decision of where I want to attend college. Moving away from dance saddens me, but at the same time opens many doors for my future.  

I have no clue what those doors are going to be, whether I join a school sport or just get more involved in the school in general, I am excited to go into my senior year with a clean slate and an open schedule and really enjoy what this school has to offer. All in all, I am looking forward to having time for myself and for school events. Although I am sad to leave my days of dancing behind, I think that my senior year will be the best one yet and I am excited for what it holds.