The hardest part of writing this is figuring out where to start. So, I will start by saying thank you. To everybody who has impacted me and made a difference in my life. To the family and friends who have supported and helped me no matter what. To the teachers who I have built lifelong relationships with. I could not imagine where and who I would be without you. You helped me shape the person I am today and who I strive to become. So, once again, thank you to all of those who made a difference in my life because even if it was small or subtle, it was far from unnoticed. I cannot wait to use everything I have learned to see what new experiences I will have, friends I will make, and opportunities I will have at UMass Amherst next year.

I definitely also need to address the only thing that people are talking about right now. I am extremely heartbroken that we were not able to have the time that is considered the most fun, in school. Instead, we had to be talking and looking into screens. I guess one benefit is that we could wake up at 8:59 AM, roll out of bed, and be at “school.” Missing so many events that many of us were looking forward to participating in leaves me wondering what it could have been. I praise the effort that the students and faculty have put in to make this crazy situation easier and so we could have a smoother transition. There was a lot of pressure on the class officers and on the school to find a solution, and I feel as they have worked well with one another and definitely made this weird time much better for all of us.

To the WHS soccer and lacrosse programs that I have had the honor to be a part of, I owe so much more than I would like to admit to both my teammates and coaches. They all showed me what it is like to work as a team and not as individuals, how to work hard for what you want, and also taught me some things that I could not learn in the classrooms, such as respect, accountability, and responsibility. In addition to the coaches and teammates, I want to thank all of the parents who put in extra time in their busy days to ensure that we were getting the best of the best and a once in a lifetime experience, and you all succeeded. I am forever grateful for the amount of work and sacrifice that was put in behind the scenes for not only me, but for all of the students involved. It could not possibly have been the same without each and every one of you.

Looking back, high school truly traveled at a million miles an hour. I can still remember the day that I was rushed with an endless amount of emotions as the seniors charged down the halls. Each day is a new memory and experience and I recommend that everybody gets involved in as much as they can. The people you connect with and the memories you create are second to none and you will remember it all for a lifetime. Do not take anything for granted because before you know it, it will be over and you could have missed it.

Some advice that I would give to my younger self is to say yes to everything. Like I said earlier, whether that is joining a club, trying out a new sport, staying after, hanging out with friends, the network and memories are all worth the time. I also think that it is important to be more than just a GPA and an SAT/ACT score. Have character. Get involved. Find a passion or hobby. Set goals and work hard. Make a new friend. Conquer your fears. Be true to yourself. Step far outside of your comfort zone. High school is also about enjoying it as much as you can and branching out in all different ways, and the most important thing to do is to make yourself happy because it is all about you and what you make of high school.

I think one of the most important things to take away is that we cannot base our entire high school careers on the experiences we had on daily Zoom calls together. While it was a huge change and especially hard for my fellow seniors to finish high school virtually, we have so much more to look back on and be proud of.

We all have grown so much and I wish nothing but the best for all of my classmates, whichever path you all have chosen to take. There is so much ahead for all of us. Good luck to the Class of 2020 and thank you Westborough High School!