The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

Senior Goodbye: Embracing change

Reflecting+on+her+cut-short+high+school+experience%2C+TRLs+Lauren+Gardner+said+more+than+anything%2C+I+cherish+all+of+the+connections+I%E2%80%99ve+made+with+my+teachers+and+classmates.+
Courtesy of Lauren Gardner
Reflecting on her cut-short high school experience, TRL’s Lauren Gardner said “more than anything, I cherish all of the connections I’ve made with my teachers and classmates. “

I learned a lot from high school. I learned how to manage my time, be tolerant of others’ differences and perspectives, and learn how to be myself regardless of my environment. High school at Lovejoy gave me the opportunities to really explore and grow in knowledge and perspective. The classes I was able to take help me learn how to communicate and advocate for my passions. The AP program really helped me to get a taste for what college courses will be life. The things I learned through high school prepared me for life beyond college.

Lauren Gardner, 6, smiles her younger brother. Now a senior, Gardner plans to attend Southern Methodist University (SMU), where she will major in English and history. (Courtesy of Lauren Gardner)

One of my proudest moments during high school include going to the Race and Politics workshop at Princeton during the Summer of 2018. Attending the conference allowed me to be around others that share my passion for writing. That summer, I also completed and published my first book of poetry. More than anything, I cherish all of the connections I’ve made with my teachers and classmates.  

The class of 2020 expected to have to embrace change after our graduation, but we didn’t expect that we would have to adapt to change so suddenly before our high school careers were even over.  Many of us started our second semester with signs of senioritis; we found ourselves dragging out of beds in the morning holding on to the thoughts that we would be out of high school soon. Personally, I’ve been counting down the days for college.

Even though I thought I was ready to be done with high school, I’m actually sad that we aren’t able to finish our last semester together as a class. We won’t be able to attend the prom and we are all anticipating. We won’t have normal graduation.  Even though we won’t be able to experience those rights of passages, we will definitely go down in the school’s history as the class that didn’t step foot on the campus for two months, but still got to graduate. In a way, our quarantine is like the best senior prank EVER! Finally, I believe we are very prepared to tackle the changes coming our way as we enter college next year. 

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Lauren Gardner
Lauren Gardner, Staff Writer
Lauren Gardner, a senior, dreamer, logophile, and artist, strongly believes in the importance of pursuing one's passions and evolving fully into who you are. This is her second year on The Red Ledger, and she will contribute as a staff writer. As an individual, Lauren is passionate about social injustice, cognitive and behavioral studies, traveling, the arts and cultural awareness. Lauren believes in the philosophy of broadening the capacity of the mind and analyzing life from a deeper perspective than at face value. After graduation, Lauren is excited to go to college and hopes to travel the entire world. Throughout her life, she feels writing has allowed her to fully express who she is, and without it, she would not be where she is today. Whether she is aimlessly sketching, traveling to new places, or creating pieces of literary work, Lauren hopes that overall she can bring consciousness and change in the world.

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