“I don’t think I would change any of this if I could.”

These last few weeks of senior year have felt like a rerun of the favorite season of your favorite show. You know the story is ending, but it’s worth reminiscing on the moments that led up to it. 

We get four years to be true teenagers. You have more responsibilities than taking an afternoon nap like you did in elementary school, but much less than filing taxes. You get the privilege of living these four years with your favorite people and spending each moment making memories that you’ll tell your future kids. It’s bittersweet, knowing that we will all be going our separate ways even though we have grown up with each other for the past 12 years. Whether it’s those I’ve said goodbye to, or those I’ve been blessed to be around, each person has memories attached to them, those I could never forget.

I always hear “don’t live with regrets.” You make certain choices for reasons you don’t always know until later. Those choices lead you to each moment you have lived up until now and they shape you into who you have become. Sometimes, I wish I could erase all the bad memories, but if it’s at the cost of the growth, change, and knowledge I’ve gained throughout the years, who would I be without them?

As I grow up to see the world outside of my Loudoun County bubble, I will take each lesson with me and it will show itself in some shape or form in everything I do. Putting aside everything we have been through, it’s been an amazing run. As I set my Chromebook free from its shackles of late-night study sessions, I will begin the next chapter of my life. Whether it was inside or outside the classroom, I won’t ever forget what I’ve learned. And even if I had the power to change any of this, there is no chance I would.