When I was little, my old elementary school only went up to fourth grade and I was never exposed to the “big kids” of high school—I couldn’t even tell you where our local high school was. The whole concept of high school was one that I was completely unfamiliar with until I moved to the United States. I remember my parents taking us on a walk to our new elementary school, Richard, and how it seemed like such a big building for tiny kids. We kept on walking and made it over to South and I remember feeling overwhelmed and intimidated by the size of the building. Once I knew of the word “high school,” it never left my mind.
I begged my mom to rent any kind of movie that talked about high school so I could feel most prepared when it was my time to enter those doors. While I didn’t have the ideal freshman year and ended up entering those doors a semester late, I still had finally made it to high school. And no matter how many movies I watched or books I read, nothing could’ve prepared me for the next four years.
There were many tears but even more laughs, and many stressful days but many joyful ones too. High school was, to say the least, a bumpy ride, but I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. It wasn’t like the movies, but it definitely had its Oscar-worthy moments. From watching Parravano and Hamka wrestle at football games, to watching people jump into freezing water for the polar plunge, high school may not have been perfect, but it sure was unforgettable.
My advice to incoming freshmen or anyone battling high school is to simply enjoy it. While that may sometimes seem impossible, I encourage you to come without any expectations and just find your own way. Don’t expect high school to be like the movies, instead think of it as a show that seems to have an unlimited amount of seasons, where every day is a new episode and a chance for you to start your next adventure. At times it will feel like the show keeps dragging on, but I promise if you stick to it there will be plenty of plot twists along the way. Whether that adventure involves hanging out with your friends and getting called out of seventh hour to go tan, getting an A on a test you studied your butt off the night before or forgetting to do your homework, it’s all a part of your show.
To my fellow seniors, think of graduation as the season finale. To put it into perspective, as we graduate high school, we’re really only on season four of “Friends.” There are many more episodes waiting to air; we just haven’t lived them yet.