Coming to the end of my senior year and realizing my transition into the new season of my life has been extremely emotional. I never believed people when they told me that these four years will go by fast, and when I mean fast, I mean in flying colors.

Freshman year feels like it was just yesterday. Walking into this new school, excited. I have always admired my sister and how cool she was and popular. and I felt like that would be me. High school has been one of the best yet draining periods of my life, and, honestly, if I could do it all again, I would. Every single moment counted for something. It’s so hard to sit and write this, I am not sure whether to be happy or sad that it is finally over. One thing for sure I will not dwell on; it is finally over, and, man, I am blessed to still be here today, after everything. I can admit I have struggled – in school and in my personal life. But, I am proud to move into the next chapter of my life.

If I could give any advice for upcoming students it would definitely be to …

● Stay focused, work hard, play later. Make sure you do what you have to do before trying to go out with friends or anything of the sort.

● Enjoy the little things. For example, going to the games, trying a new sport, joining a club, making a new friend. These are some of the best years of life. You aren’t necessarily an adult, but you have more responsibility.

● If you plan on going to college, start as soon as possible. Make sure you’re filling out your scholarships, getting all the requirements for your school. Do it and get it out the way.

● Don’t deny that you are going to procrastinate. Procrastination is a part of the high school experience. However, the faster you can understand that you are procrastinating can change a lot of the things you do moving forward. Prioritize what is most important then from there everything else will fall into place.

● Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you need help, use your resources. Ask your teachers, ask your peers, and even sign up for help. That same question you might have another student has almost 90% of the time. I personally believe no question is a “dumb” question. Clearly there was something that you didn’t understand. And it’s the teacher’s job so make sure that you understand the material that they are giving you.

● Be careful of those students that like to act like they are failing. You’ll be struggling getting a “F” and they will be getting a “B” talking about they are “failing” and they don’t know what they are going to do and so on. Watch out for those type of people.

● It’s okay to explore and find yourself. Making new friends can happen in the process but never forget who you are or change for the wrong reasons. Change for yourself, not to fit in. Be open to change and get ready for improvement.

All in all for me, high school has not always been perfect nor easy. There have been moments where I thought it broke me, but really it showed me how to deal with people and who not to fool with. High school teaches you more than you would think. It taught me about injustice in and out the classroom and how there will just be people that don’t want to see you succeed, and, on that note, you have to pay attention to who knows what regarding your next move. It taught me that procrastination is a nasty habit I need to get rid of. Everything it touches causes lack of motivation and frustration. It has taught me especially to seize the moment and enjoy being a kid.

If I could go back and do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat. Being a kid is unmatched and is a once and a lifetime experience.

Be kind to yourself and your peers.

This is your moment, take advantage of it.