The last week of school is approaching, but this time it feels different. I’ll never walk these same hallways or sit in these classrooms again. It’s not just “I will see you next year”; this is the final goodbye. I can’t believe it’s my time to walk across the stage.
Walking these halls, knowing that they will soon become just memories, is such a surreal feeling. I can’t believe I spent so much time wishing for classes to end, hoping for the year to be over, and wanting to graduate already. It felt like I had all the time in the world, like the year 2025 would never come. It all happened so fast; it feels like I was just a freshman yesterday. It’s hard to accept that in a week, all I will have left are my memories of school. I will never be a high schooler again, nor a middle schooler, and I will never return to being the little girl in elementary school. School has been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, friendships formed and lost, the stress of deadlines, and the challenge of passing classes. There’s nothing I would take back; I’ve enjoyed every moment.
As I walk through the halls, I pass the classrooms I had during my freshman year, and the memories flood back. I think about the scared, nervous 14-year-old I once was, trying to adjust to a new school and new people. I wish I could talk to my younger self and tell her that everything will be okay and to never take my time at school for granted. It’s crazy how much I have changed as a person in just four years—my dreams, aspirations, and mindset are all so different now. If there’s one thing I could change about my high school experience, it would be to live in the moment instead of wishing for time to pass. I would encourage myself to enjoy every single day to the fullest.
Although I may be leaving these halls for the last time, my memories of high school will always remain here. School was like a second home; I spent most of my days here. It’s all I’ve ever known. I know that when I hear that last bell releasing me from class for the final time, it will hit me hard. All the memories will replay at once, from the scared freshman I once was, to the rebellious sophomore, the struggling junior, and then to me, in that bittersweet moment, feeling the weight of high school coming to an end.
It’s more than just leaving a building behind; it’s leaving behind four years of my life. I’m leaving behind who I was when I first started high school and closing the final chapter of the twelve years it took to reach that moment. If there’s one thing I would want any underclassman reading this to take away, it’s to never wish your time away. Time moves too fast, and you can never get it back. Enjoy every moment and take full advantage of your time at school, because sooner than you think, it will be your turn to walk across that stage.
