As each chapter comes to a close, we are leaving behind the past versions of ourselves from kindergarten to where we are today. With only a few pages left, seniors have to adventure off outside of the safety net of highschool, into the real world with big jobs and campuses.
“Graduation is such a bittersweet moment,” senior Rebecca Roff said. “Growing up is nerve-wracking but exciting all in one”
As spring season approaches, so do the plans of senior year coming in full swing. This season will leave students with feelings of pride, dread, excitement, or even anxiety. The scarcity of letting go of the life we have known for all our lives can be paralyzing. We know every street corner, every restaurant that we are a regular at, every crack in the sidewalk by houses, the backyard where we first learned how to ride a bike. Every moment is starting to fade into a memory. These last moments together can be haunting, a reminder that leaving this old life, requires jumping into the big pond full of possibility. The acceptance of growing up is the one wall that we can’t quite figure out to get around.
From the wise words of Taylor Swift, “The scary news is, you’re on your own now, but the cool news is, you’re on your own now.”
High school graduation is the turning of a page. This time resembles a massive change in life, so it is very normal to have various levels of fear or anxiety surrounding that. This graduation anxiety is just a sign that you care. This new life you will build outside of the pearly gates of home can be detrimental, but if you want to go anywhere, you have to go somewhere. Nothing happens if nothing happens.
“Going straight from being a student living with your parents to being independent all on your own can be scary,” Roff said. “In these last few months, change comes rushing at us.”
Dealing with these feelings in a healthy manner could be life changing. My first tip: Do a test run. Go to a college campus or your future plans and spend the day living daily activities. Two: Take a breath and enjoy being present for senior year,this time won’t come back. Three: Take it one day at a time, future plans are a massive hurdle to leap over all at once, this fear is natural.
“The future is daunting, but I’m ready for new challenges and experiences,” senior Elizabeth Valdez said.
It’s a terrifyingly beautiful feeling when growing up. In just a few short months, students will cross the bridge at graduation and move into a new chapter. The foggy road ahead should not take away from the excitement of the unknown. There will be countless new opportunities that will present themselves going into these young adult years. A new chapter isn’t the end of the old one, the book is just getting started.
