When I was in eighth grade, I was so excited to start high school after my year got cut short by COVID-19. I thought to myself, “Well, anything could be better than my 2019 school year.” Boy, was I so wrong. When freshman year came around, I was stuck. Stuck sitting in front of my laptop, trying my best to pay attention to what my teacher was lecturing about since I woke up five minutes prior. I eventually began a bad habit of staying in bed for hours at end, even when I was supposed to be learning English and algebra. I’d stay snuggled in bed with groggy eyes, just waiting for all my classes to be over. If I wasn’t doing that, I’d be playing video games while my teachers taught in the background. The year felt dreadfully long. All the motivation and excitement I carried with me from eighth grade was dwindling little by little as the year went by. I was losing myself, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it.

My first year of high school was nothing like what I’d watch on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. I thought I was going to live the “high school dream” and be one of the big kids on campus. I thought I was going to join clubs and make a lot of friends. I thought I was going to have a crush and ogle at somebody for hours. However, all of that was taken away from me. I figured the rest of my high school years were going to be terrible.  Again, I was (fortunately) wrong.

After a tiresome year, sophomore year finally came. Besides the second semester of freshman year, it was the first year that we were able to come to school and socialize with our teachers and peers. I was nervous, and I could tell everybody else was too, including the teachers. It took a while for us students to warm up to each other and our unfamiliar environment, but when we did, I felt silly for thinking high school would be boring and lame. I was even able to get my motivation back by improving my grades while also having fun learning what we were doing in school. I attended my first high school activities, such as Friday Night Lights, rallies, and homecoming. It was some of my favorite memories of high school. I finally started feeling like I was a normal teenager, participating in various school activities like how I’d watch on TV.

Then, junior year arrived. The year where I truly discovered myself and my passions. The year where I was able to come out of my shell and blossom into the woman I am today. The year I was able to express myself. It sounds a bit dramatic, but I do believe my junior year changed me as a person. When joining journalism, I had to learn how to overcome my reserved and shy self from my freshman and sophomore years. On the very first day of recording a video bulletin, I volunteered to be one of the anchors. It was embarrassing, to say the least. I constantly messed up the lines I was supposed to say, resulting in the cameraman having to keep retaking the video. Even though I made mistakes that first day, I’m glad to have experienced them. Ever since then, I learned how to memorize the lines I was supposed to say and would actively partake in the weekly bulletin videos. I even spoke for the school announcements and created my own segment called Questions in the Quad where I would go around interviewing people! I was also able to meet incredible people who helped me flourish and improve skills that I never thought I’d learn. Not just that, I was also able to receive my Block W, an academic achievement where I was able to have a 4.0 or higher for two semesters! Go me!

Now, I’m currently here as a senior. It’s odd to say, but I feel extremely grateful to have experienced years filled with challenges. Sure, I screamed and cried about homework or a test I got a low score on. Yet, none of it was in vain. I was so pessimistic about my freshman year. I never thought it’d get better, which makes me feel so blessed to say that things were able to get better for me.

High school posed difficulties and at times was ruthless on my mental health, but I made it, even when it seemed impossible for freshman Jess. Soon, I’ll be graduating with a class filled with many amazing people. I’ll be leaving behind the school that I attended for the last three years. I’ll be leaving behind all the teachers who taught me everything I needed to know for the future—who taught me about myself. I’ll be leaving behind all my best friends who were there for me when I needed to complain about my classes and my life. Before writing this reflection, I was hoping the last weeks of school went by fast. I was excited to leave and never look back. Writing this though, I regret wishing for the years to go by so fast. I conquered so much and discovered a lot about myself. I’ll never forget what I learned in the past four years.

For the rest of my life, I’ll always remember one memorable phrase. Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours. Goodbye, West High!