It’s really about to be over now, huh. The moment I have been waiting for since I was in middle school, graduation, is coming so fast. Freshman and Sophomore year, I remember the feeling of having so much time but wanting it to go faster. I just wanted to be an adult. I wanted to have my license already. I wanted to be out in the big world. Junior year came along and everything kept getting better and better for me. I got my license and my first car. I had good grades, I was on the basketball team for three years and on the Varsity team for two. I also made it on the Junior Women’s Olympic team for basketball. I couldn’t wait for senior year. I couldn’t wait to have one final year with my girls on the team; I couldn’t wait for all of the good things I’ve heard about senior year to happen to me. During my first three years of high school, I was loved by many and always had a smile on my face. I was a little ball of sunshine. I had so much potential to do so many great things, and I couldn’t wait to continue growing during my final year of high school.

Now, I could lie and say my senior year was great and everything was peachy. I could say it was all smiles and happiness, just like the movies, but it was nothing like how I thought it would be. I lost my passion for basketball, and I quit during my final year of high school. I felt horrible for doing that to all the people that supported me, especially my parents. The amount of guilt that I had everyday hearing my parents talk about how disappointed they were in me for not continuing to play the sport that I was so good at, hurt me incredibly. I wasted a lot of time pitying myself for the things that happened to me, like losing my closest group of friends, having my first car get wrecked, having family problems and having relationships that didn’t work out. A lot of things didn’t work out how I wanted them to, but looking back at it, I realize I needed to go through all these things, good and bad. To all the joyous moments of happiness and laughter spent with friends and family, to all the tears cried by myself, wondering what was wrong with me and why I couldn’t be the person I used to be, wondering why I couldn’t be the person everyone needed me to be…Though it was hard to see it at the time, I know see that everything that happened to me was for a reason.

I am slowly starting to rebuild myself, somewhere along the way, I stopped praying and started losing my faith in God, but I have found the lord again and started rebuilding my relationship with him. I am extremely grateful for that. I’m starting to learn from all of my experiences and let them benefit me instead of haunt me. I also started looking at the brighter side of things. I will not let these bad experiences drag me down. Even though I didn’t have the greatest senior year, I made a promise to everyone that in the future I will live and love my life to the fullest. Despite having problems, my family loves and supports me and I have some incredible best friends who have never left my side along the way. I want to specially thank my wonderful niece, Kirpa Sandhu. She’s only three years old, but she has shown me that it’s possible to love someone more than you love yourself. Thank you for motivating me to be a better person everyday Kirp. I also want to specially thank my cousin, Sabi. Thank you for being like another parent to me, since I was a child. Words can’t express how grateful I am for you. Thank you Mom, I wouldn’t be alive without you. Thank you for saving me and always guiding me on the right path. One last big thanks to my family for teaching me how to be a humble, responsible and respectable woman and thank you to all of my friends that have never stopped supporting me and that have stayed loyal to me through tough times. Thank you to my best friend, Maddy Doe. I don’t know where I would be without you. You are forever family to me. Through thick and thin. Now, I’m not sure what the future holds, but as long as I have God and my family on my side, I know I will prosper. Also, Mr. Raman and Mrs. Escalante, thank you both for never giving up on me and always pushing me to do my best. Don’t be too sad about me leaving, I’m sure another goofball will come right after me and he or she will disrupt your classes just like I did. I promise to make you both proud. Thank you both for treating me like your own. I will never forget you two. Lastly, thank you West High, for letting me grow and make friends that I will never forget. You will always be a part of me. Till’ next time, Goodbye West High.