Oriringally Posted May 24, 2016)

Graduation is quickly approaching. I am now in my final month of high school and the nerves are starting to kick in. I’ve been preparing for AP tests, making sure senioritis doesn’t kill my grades, and anxiously awaiting graduation. It’s been a pretty tough year overall. I lucked out by only needing to take three classes my senior year. I ended up taking five just for funsies. Two of my five classes are AP classes. I had never taken an AP class until this year, making it hard to keep up with all my homework and schoolwork, but I managed to pass my classes up to this point. I still have one more month that could change everything, however, I don’t plan on letting that happen. I will graduate strong.

Homework and schoolwork aren’t the only things I had to worry about completing this year. I had to complete college applications and apply for scholarships. I needed a bit of a push from my teachers and my mom to apply to college because I really didn’t want to. I kept switching back and forth between wanting to go to college and not wanting to go. I felt very pressured by the responsibilities that come in life and I wasn’t too sure I would be able to handle it. But, I filled out the application for UNR and waited patiently for a response. Just as I had hoped, UNR accepted my application and I was one step closer to leaving high school and starting my own life.

I am unsure of exactly what I want to do with my life at this point. One thing I know I will be doing is attending UNR. I have officially accepted my enrollment in UNR and will be starting classes in the fall of 2016. Luckily for me, my entire first year of college is paid for through scholarships and grants. This takes a huge weight off my shoulders and I am excited to see where this year leads me. But before I get to college, I have to graduate high school.

I graduate in less than one month and I’m counting down the days until I walk across that stage.  I’m not sure what it is, but it doesn’t feel like I’m leaving high school already. You know what they say, time flies when you’re having fun. Looking back now, this year has been a really great year despite all the stress and problems I’ve faced. I made some really close friends, which kind of sucks because it’s senior year and I probably won’t be close with them after graduation. But I’m glad I made good friends to make my last year of high school more enjoyable. I also became really close with a lot of my teachers. I think that’s cool because not many people can have that connection with their teachers. I can also say I took AP classes in high school. That’s an accomplishment for me because I tried to stay away from AP classes at all costs. But hey, it’s all worth it now because all that hard work will pay off in college.

I am excited for my upcoming graduation and to start college, but I am also sad about leaving my friends and everything changing. It’s time to start making new memories and start building a new life for myself. Trying to stay open-minded about attending college and going through all these changes is important because I am not one who likes change, but I know sometimes it’s for the better. I am ready to see where life takes me.