My first hour of my first day of high school was spent in DFab’s tutorial, watching the music video to Rich Homie Quan’s “Walk Thru.” I got lost on the way to class, even though I roamed the halls for weeks before school started. I took a seat in the back and my eyes soaked in the scene in front of me: the teacher wearing some sort of kilt, everyone staring at their phone screens and the smartboard displaying the 2014 hit rapper on a helicopter landing. In that moment I thought to myself, “Is this what high school is like?”

My high school experience was a cluster of highs, lows and a somewhat in between feeling. Right now, I’m writing this while in one of the ‘in between’ moods. It’s bittersweet to finally sit down and write this highly anticipated column. I’ve been drafting it in the shower since October, but now here I am in May with not much to say. I don’t really like talking about myself, so for now I’m going to talk about the people I admire:

My family. I couldn’t be more grateful for how you raised me. Mom- Thank you for understanding what it’s like to be a teenager and being a great gossiping partner. Dad- Thank you for giving me your witty sense of humor, being my personal chef and involving me in your rock and roll lifestyle. Andrew and Brett- thanks for making me grow up with thick skin and for making me good at video games.

My Friendship Girls. I love you guys will all my heart. Phoebe- Thank you for all always letting me show up at your house no matter the circumstance. Susie- Thank you for 15 years of you laughing at my jokes. Thom- Thank you for being a great host. Elana- Thank you for being so easy to talk to. Kramer- Thank you for being the responsible friend. Kaitlin- Thanks for traveling out of the state to go to concerts with me.

My Tower family. Thank you for being a joy to work with and for handling all my mixes of emotions. Edge and Satt- Thank you for believing in my passion and letting me express it. Jack John and Ray- Thank you for the memories we made the past three years and for being like protective older brothers to me. To everyone else, I will never forget the long nights and all the laughs we shared.

New friends. Thank you to all the new people I became close with this past year. My weekends would have been dull without all you.

Okay I think I’m warmed up enough to start talking more about myself. Besides my first day of freshman year, my early years of high school were too uneventful I don’t even want to acknowledge them. However, these past eight months of senior year has truly been one for the books. Lots of cries, laughs, trips, successes and whatever the opposite of successes are. Oh failures, yeah I had a lot of those this year.

I remember showing up to the homecoming parade late with sunglasses on because I spent the prior hour and a half crying because I couldn’t find my car keys that, turns out, I left on the water purifier of my fridge. My senior year cries would be incomplete without mentioning The Tower party– or more accurately, the repercussions of it. It was a week of interrogations from administration, people discrediting my leadership abilities, rumors everywhere and my parents asking, “Is this going to affect college?” It was also during that week when my dog of 12 years died, so each night I would go home and ball my eyes out.

Besides that, life was relatively good. After the Tower scandal, my dad took me on vacation to South Carolina to watch a Rolling Stones cover band perform at a oyster festival. It was a nice change in scenery. Other highlights of my year include– just in case I’m reading this 20 years later and forgot– Phoebe falling off an elevated surface at UMich, attending the hoco afterparty in a garage, traveling to Dallas and New York, having my best friend from Germany visit, going to the Jacob Sartorius concert (best night of my life), spending spring break in Cabo, getting a summer internship downtown, and of course, prom.

Senior year is practically over. I’m emotional. I’m anxious. I’m relieved. No matter where I end up going from here, it’s nice to know I have lived my senior year to its fullest– doing what I enjoy along with the people I love.

I feel like people expect this column to be more cohesive and even more professional like EIC’s columns usually are. I probably should have crafted some complex metaphors and said enough emotional stuff to make my mom cry. Instead, I introduced my column talking about Rich Homie Quan, and honestly, I would not want it any other way.