High school.

It’s such a funny concept.

You’re supposed to learn how to be your own person, but you are also told to continue being a kid.

Ironic, isn’t it?

I’ve learned a lot throughout the past four years and even last few months as to what’s really important in life.

One, the friends you begin high school with are not going to be the ones you finish high school with.

I don’t have the same friends as I did when I was a freshman. It’s just a part of high school. I have one person still in my life today from freshman year. Everyone else left and that’s OK. During the four years spent walking the hallways that everyone is ready to escape from day one, everyone grows and changes.

Because of the emotional and psychological development throughout the 720 days spent in the same place with the same people, friend groups change all the time. As we get older and life throws unexpected whims at us, our thinking changes leading to a different view of the world as we age. Looking back on my freshman year I wasn’t the brightest, but is anybody really super smart when they’re a freshman? No.

Two, while this is contradicting to lesson one, fight for the friendships and the people that mean the most to you.

It is extremely ambiguous to say, but you will know when it is worth the fight and when it isn’t. I am a very faithful person and I fight for what I believe in, but I’ve learned that I can’t fight for everyone and everything. As an individual, the decision as to what is worth the fight and the pain has to be determined by you.

For me, continuing to put myself through pain to try and make something work that clearly wasn’t, wasn’t worth it in the long run. Some people you just have to let go of in order to make yourself happy. It truly isn’t worth it to continue the pain when separation is inevitable after graduation.

Three, don’t get consumed by just having fun or just doing school work.

Spending all of your time studying and doing homework, like I have done for three years, is good when it comes to preparing for college, class rank and GPA. However, it is important to find the balance between responsibility and fun.

Go out on the weekend and grab dinner and a movie with your friends, or stay in and have a junk food and movie night with your besties. No matter how small it is, blowing off the steam from the week is vital.

Four, others don’t influence your happiness. Happiness is an internal decision and should not be influenced by others.

You do you.

You wear what you want to wear. You watch the movies you want to watch. You hang out with the people you want to hang out with.

People don’t get to dictate how you feel about yourself and what you do with your life. It is your life so you get to make your own decisions. It may feel like high school is going to define you, but it isn’t. High school is just a chapter that is a stepping stone to the rest of your life.

Five, enjoy the little time of this thing we call high school. It may seem like an eternity to reach senior year, but in the grand scheme of things it really isn’t. One day you are going to blink and you’ll realize that the worry free years are over.

Looking back on my high school career, there are many things I regret not doing. At the end of the day though, what really matters is what I have done and the memories I have made. I participated in every dress up day humanly possible, yelled my head off at every football game and pep rally, and most of all made some amazing memories with some amazing people.

Seniors, I hope you have some amazing high school memories that you will remember for the rest of your lives. Put aside the petty drama that has ruled our lives for so long. Is it really worth carrying into life outside of high school? When I look back on my time in high school I’m going to remember the good times, not the bad.

Underclassmen, enjoy the little time you have left. This is your time, so make the most of it. You have anywhere from one to three years left. Relish every second because you will blink and it’ll be gone. It isn’t as long as you think, I promise.