A year ago today, I sat alongside a senior friend of mine as she was writing her senior column. I was so excited that soon I would be a senior. I then started contemplating what I was going to write about for my column, even though I wouldn’t be writing it for quite awhile. I am finally at that point, and I don’t remember a single idea I had for it. So here goes nothing.

There are lots of things to reflect on during my time at South. I definitely wouldn’t have gotten this experience anywhere else. To be honest, I’m grateful for it. I grew and changed in many ways I didn’t know I would, not only thanks to South, but to the pandemic and being quarantined. Two weeks into my freshman year, I knew my high school experience would be nothing like I saw in the movies. I know my experience differed a lot from those of my peers.

I’ve been in predominantly white school systems since I was in sixth grade. I had high hopes of going to a HBCU, but it wasn’t written in the stars for me. I didn’t cry about it, but it definitely saddened me, because I was hoping for a change of scenery. Most HBCUs don’t offer my major Sign Language/English interpreting). I settled on Kent State University, because the school has a great program for my field of study.

Even though I don’t move into college until August, I have already found a group of people who look like me, thanks to Facebook and ZeeMee. I organized a group chat for POC going to Kent in the Fall, and it was the best thing I could’ve done. I have established lines of communication and made it so I can navigate my freshman year with people I’m familiar with. My time at South prepared me for the real world, in a good way. Not only did it help me academically, but also socially. It will definitely make for a smoother transition to college out-of-state.

As my time at South comes to an end, I hope for better things for the small community of BIPOC when I’m gone. I hope there will be more of a presence in clubs like S.E.E.D.S and BSU. I hate to see a divide in an already compact community. I hope the underclassmen will see this issue and stick together. I wish for a more diverse teaching staff and more POC amongst the Tower staff. POC perspectives need to be heard. As for the racial acts of intolerance that keep happening, I am of the opinion that the city and school district of Grosse Pointe has to want the change for itself, as it so desperately needs, just as much as others want it for them.

Peace Out (pun intended) GPS