The Office’s Andy Bernard once said “I wish there was a way to know you’re in ‘the good old days,’ before you’ve actually left them.” This quote sounds very cliche but eventually, you will understand that’s the truth about the high school experience.
One of the dreams I’ve always had growing up was to play college lacrosse. I thought about this day in a day out and made it my ultimate goal. When freshman year came around I had a lot more to worry about than just lacrosse: new people, new classes and just being in high school. Being a freshman was hard already but soon after the year started, I had a major setback. I got extremely ill. I lost 30 pounds in one month, was always uneasy and constantly sick. I thought my dreams of playing lacrosse at the highest level were gone.
Shortly after this transpired COVID hit, which was a blessing in disguise. Everything was canceled which gave me more time to recover but also reevaluate my future. Coming back to school when it was hybrid was very odd just like it was to everyone else, hard to socialize due to all the rules the school put in place and also hard to focus due to not being in a school environment for so long. I told myself I had to enjoy the rest of my high school years because we as a grade have already missed out on so much due to the pandemic.
Fast forward to junior year and college became real. I had to think about what I really wanted to do with my future. I was finally back in the swing of a real high school experience, forced to think about college and what I really wanted. I had a great summer leading into that year for lacrosse which kickstarted my college process, I finally was recovering from my sickness even though I still did not know what the diagnosis really was. Even though I felt like I had all this going for me, I did not want the days to end, growing up and graduating was a thought I wanted to keep out of my head. I knew that one day all of this would just be a memory.
Senior year came along and I finally learned to cherish my relationships and friendships more than ever before. I ended up committing to play lacrosse in college in late December fulfilling my dream from freshman year. I fell to the famous senioritis right away unfortunately but that gave me more time to focus on making my senior year memorable. It is important to go to every event possible during your senior year. I went to every football game I could, basketball game you name it, because leaving for college is unavoidable and sneaks up quickly.
I was worried sick most of the year to make a college decision because I knew that would mean leaving home, but I did make that decision. We can not control time and time always comes to an end. With that being said I appreciated the time I spent with my friends, my senior lacrosse season and my family. As a result, I am enjoying my senior year with no regrets.
The high school experience is as fun as you make it. I wish I had known this before senior year and didn’t care what others thought of me. It is all about getting through the adversity thrown at you, whether COVID or sickness, it’s all about trying your best but having fun at the same time.
