When the Senior Became the Graduate

First day of Senior year. The last "first day" of High school. The excitement of what's to come- prom, performances, pep rallies. There's also the slightest bit on fear when you start to think about college, but the thought of High School feeling like it's a million miles long tends to overshadow everything else. When in reality, looking back, Senior year flies by and the only time you realize it is when your minutes away from walking across a stage to shake the hand of your principal and receive a diploma that hopefully has an actually certificate in it and not just a paper that states "you'll get your real diploma soon, we just put this paper inside so everything thinks you actually graduated. It's our little secret."

Though I do find myself becoming extremely nostolgic when it comes to reminising about my last year of High School.

The last All School Retreat

The last Drama Tour

The last performances with my Drama Ducks

Last Choir Tour

Last Pep Rally (...& before you ask...yes- that is me in the Eagle)

The last time singing as an Abundant Life Singer (ALS)

The last photo by the "Berean Wall"

The last varsity baseball game as the team manager

Last Chapel planning as Spiritual Emphasis Leader (one of my favorites being a good friend of mine- Alex Ramon, Berean Alumni & super awesome illusionist)

Last group photo with the Big Cheese #WeAreTheBigCheese

Last Berean event along side my best friends. Ever.

Last "late night rehearsals" for the Comedy One Acts. Last off-campus lunches. Last mornings debating whether or not you REALLY need to go to first period...or second period...or at all. Last of the Student Store madness during lunch on Thursdays. Last moments in 5th period Econ with your best friend who even though sits behind you, still finds a way to talk to you. Last fire drills with a substitute teacher who has no idea what's going on. Last gatherings with The Big Cheese on the stage because we outgrew the tables in the quad. Last moments parking next to your best friends in the same spot every single morning. The last of Senior year...

Then it hits... your last moments before no longer being a High School student.

Graduation day. The last time you will talk to 90% of the people you've gone through everything with the past 4 years, if not, more. Walking amlously round an empty church building in White and Navy robes. Waiting. The time comes when everyone gets lined up to walk. Sitting in a seat, looking out into the crowd and you see your family, fourth row, stage left. They are proud to be watching "their little girl" accomplish a huge mile stone. It's now your turn to walk across the imfamous stage to shake the hand of the principal, who you think resembles Walt Disney emencly, to accept a diploma from the one person who helped you through some of the toughest times of your high school career. Mrs. Pearsall, Dean of Women. One of the most incredible people I've gotten the privliege of knowing.

You go back to take your seat and shoot your parents a look, the looks that says "all of my hard work paid off. I love you guys." The rest of the ceremony involves cheering on my best friends as they accept their diplomas and a selfies competition with my brother.

As the ceremony comes to an end, you exit the building through "the teacher tunnel" and you shout their first names at all of them... you slowly start to realize that your about to enter the real world and that you have an amazing life ahead of you. Life is starting, a whole new chapter is about to begin. As everything is being done for the very last time, the excitement of everything starting over again, you look forward to the "firsts" of everything even though it feels like you just turned 12, like, yesterday and don't feel 100% ready to take on everything just yet and then suddenly, it's happening.

This is my life.

How the senior became the graduate...