High School has its Ups and Downs

JENNIFER PIERCE
Copy Editor

We’re looking at the end of a four-year odyssey. Looking forward, our whole lives lie ahead. But looking back, it’s hard to imagine us today without what has passed.

​ We’ve all been there, especially in high school. The bad, the really bad and the really, really bad. Maybe it was a test we totally bombed or a friendship we neglected beyond repair, both of which we regret now. We know we could have studied harder or given our friend more attention, and, try as we might, we know even better that there’s no changing the past.

​ But high school is a growing experience, and every little piece counts in the end. How much did we learn about ourselves when we didn’t study for that test? How much more effort and care was put into the next friend? The list never ends.

​Most of us are ecstatic to be completing high school. Graduation is so close and was hard-earned. However, it was high school that brought us there, that allowed us to grow. Every regret, every pain, every sadness helped us find out what’s inside and who we truly are. We’re not the same freshmen who walked onto campus four years ago.

​Of course, it’s not just the bad that shaped us; it’s also the good. Every triumphant grade, every lasting relationship is proof of growth. Sometimes it just takes a few falls to get back up again. And that’s what we should really take from high school.

​ Life continues. Maybe you’re like me, and these past few months have been really hard on you. But there’s no reason to give up. It’s those hard times that’ll really help us in the long run because they made us stronger.

​ This is the year of the Apocalypse, and, so far, we’ve survived. Congrats, Class of 2012.