I don’t even know where to start writing this. I definitely didn’t imagine writing my senior testimonial at home, I would much rather be with Mrs. Stoker and all the other Lobby-O staff. I never thought my senior year would end two months early–no matter how many times I thought what was supposed to be a few weeks off from school was going to be a fun break.

I remember as a freshman reading the seniors testimonials and feeling so inspired to make the most out of high school just as they did. I truly regret not listening to their true and important advice they gave me. “Be yourself, focus on your studies, and don’t take your time here for granted.” During the past few months is when I realized how meaningful their messages were. Now, I understand that sitting and thinking about all the regrets isn’t going to do anything since the time has already passed, so for me I am taking all of my experiences during high school whether they were the good or the bad as lessons.

My biggest piece of advice for anyone is don’t follow the crowd. I know it’s difficult to be your own person in high school where everyone is constantly trying to fit in, but I can’t stress to you enough how none of it really matters. I wasted so much of my time being focused on what others would think of me and ended up making a lot of decisions based off of that and not decisions for myself.

For the first few years of high school I wasn’t myself, instead I was trying to be someone I wasn’t just to have the validation that I have a big group of friends. I hung around people who would take others’ losses as their own success and knew that these weren’t the people I wanted to be around. But like everyone else, I still followed the crowd. Not until the end of my junior year is when I realized the precious time I was wasting because of this. I realized that I need to be okay with being my own friend before I can be friends with anyone else. I lost many friends along the way, but also know which people truly make me happy. It definitely took some time to understand that and I’m so happy I did.

My senior year is one that I will always cherish. Even though I only had a handful of close friends, I was still my happiest. I found the people who won’t judge you for your mistakes and will constantly be there to build you up. I learned that you don’t need to be friends with everyone in order to be happy, but instead if you are your true self then the rest will fall into place.
With that said I want to take time to thank those who have been there to always build me up especially this year. Maddie, Olivia, and Cassidy thank you all for being so kind and loving to me this whole year, it has truly meant a lot.\

I also want to thank Mrs. Stoker for being such a great teacher for the past four years. She has taught me so many life lessons and has been one of my biggest role models throughout high school. She is one of the most positive and uplifting people I have met, and she knows how to put a smile on everyone’s face. I am so glad I signed up to take class with her my freshman year as I have learned so much from both her and the class.

I am so thankful for all of the experiences WHS has provided me during the last four years as it has shaped me into the person I am today. I am very excited for where my journey will take me next.
Remember to always be your true self:)