Welp, its time, can’t keep pushing it back, time to reminisce. My time at west high… thinking back the past four years, every experience flashes by as a blur. From when I was an overachieving freshman, In the SEA, taking AP classes, anxious to succeed, to my senior self, taking care of my siblings, holding down a job, enjoying activities, and making certain everyone knew that “Tek was here”. Over these 4 years, 1460 days, or 35,040 hours, there’s no doubt I’ve grown and changed as a person, instead of the lonely little guy I was complaining about everything, thinking the world revolved around him, sporting the most nostalgic yet God awful music taste known to man, I became a Big lonely man, more open minded, MUCH more handsome, and sporting only the second worst music taste known to man. For me it’s a safe bet to call my senior year the best I’ve had throughout my entire school career.

Everyone always says “You gotta plan for your future” but something you need to remember is that, while you can plan your future, try to know every twist and turn life will throw at you, there’s only so much you can know, only so much you can predict. As an example, the curveball I was thrown was my dad’s passing.

Going through high school, slowly noticing yourself grow up, it’s an odd feeling, you’ll look back to your past self with regrets and guilt, but at the end of the day you have the people that inspire you to look towards, for me that was my parents. My mom who gave up more than her fair share to raise us, for which I cannot express how grateful I am, alongside my father, who gave all he could to give his kids the life he never had. They both fought hard to give me a great senior year. My mom helped me when I struggled, pushed me to complete my assignments and assisted by funding senior activities. My dad, making sure I had time for myself, showing me there was more to life than the endless cycles of work and school, teaching me how to be the man I wanted to be.

Seeing my dad in the hospital bed, unable to move, and barely able to hear, it hurt, but I know that as I approach the final stretch of high school, marching up the stage and holding my diploma, I can look towards the empty seat hidden amongst the sea of family and know he’s gonna smile down from the heavens… They’ll all smile, they’ll all be proud…

Thank you west high,

Aiden McCullar, Graduating class of 2023