As I’m writing this, there’s less than a week left of school for me and it’s pretty surreal. As cliche as it sounds, it really does feel like the end of an era. And within that 4-year chunk of time, each year has felt so different and unique from the last.

A significant moment from freshman year came in the middle of the first semester. I was switching math classes which would affect some of the other classes I’d planned on taking and I had to switch one of my electives around. I picked Journalism and didn’t really know what to expect from it. I don’t remember much of my freshman year Journalism experience, but it was enough that I wanted to pursue Journalism II the next year. This is when I started to get a lot more freedom in what I wrote and it was a great outlet for me to pursue my interest in film.

That year we were able to visit Westborough TV to work on projects and that led to me actually working at the TV studio and producing my own movie reviews. Here I got a lot of hands-on experience, recording the videos in the actual recording room, using their software to edit. Before high school, I knew I enjoyed making videos and editing, but this was a great step up from editing at home using iMovie on my phone.

Thinking about the end makes me reflect on the past and when I do, more than anything, I think about my friends and the people who’ve been there for me. I also think about how much I’ve changed and grown. Especially in the past year, I’ve started to learn a lot about myself and the potential I have for who I want to be and what I’m capable of. And I don’t mean to suggest I’ve got it all figured out or something like that. Right now I’m just feeling more hopeful about the future.

I think about my group of friends and how lucky I feel we all stuck together over the past four years, despite hard times. They’ve always been there for me and have been a good constant in my life. We’ve made so many memories together and I’m hopeful we’ll stay connected in the future. I especially want to acknowledge and thank Aidan Clark, Ella Wahlers and Sophie Eisenthal. I’ve learned so much from my friends and changed so much for the better because of them. There’s an image of all of us going to the Commons freshman year after school to just hangout and be together and it’s juxtaposed with the thought of us at graduation in just a couple weeks.

I can’t believe we’ve actually come this far and that time is now. My little brother is finishing up his last year at Gibbons. He’ll enter WHS as I’m leaving it and we just miss each other. I always knew him coming to WHS meant I was leaving it and again, it’s very surreal that that’s finally happening.

I’m really grateful for my time spent at WHS. The past four years and especially the past year in particular have been so significant in my development. I’m really glad I chose to take Journalism as my elective freshmen year, I had no idea where it would take me or the opportunities it would grant me. And I’m grateful I spent this time with good people who cared about me. That’s the most important takeaway for me and if I had to pass on advice to younger students or kids just about to enter freshman year like my brother, I’d say to make it a priority to spend this time with the best people in your life. Pursue your interests and don’t pass up opportunities that come your way.