Second semester of senior year is a weird time for everyone. We’re all trying to make our final high school memories while also trying to figure out our futures. For many, this is the first time in our lives that we’ve had to make a major decision which will impact our lives. For me, this has led to an internal struggle of trying to hold on to the last part of my childhood and also trying to move on into adult life.

When I was a freshman, I went around constantly saying that I could wait for the day that I became a second semester senior. However, now that it is here, I understand that this time of finishing up high school and preparing for college is a major life event. Seniors are still waiting to hear back from college and scholarships as well as having to make the decision of where to ultimately attend as well. 

This often has stressed me out and prevented me from truly enjoying this time. However, I realized that feeling weird during this time is completely normal. We are completing a chapter of our lives and nearing the end of our childhoods. This transition in turn inherently brings mixed feelings of all sorts and however we feel is valid.

With this huge life event, it is easy to think that our childhood and the fun times that came with that are over. However, we must also remember that our lives do not suddenly end when we graduate. We may be closing one chapter, but that is only to open another. While we may mourn and feel nostalgia towards our high school days, we still have many more college and real-life days ahead of us. During this time, don’t forget to slow down and not take yourself super seriously. While the second semester of senior year and graduation can be seen as a sad time, it is also an opportunity to make some memories and prepare for the next part of our lives. 

Overall, this time in our lives is complicated and often leaves us feeling a lot of different emotions. As we prepare to graduate and go off to college, don’t put so much pressure on yourself to feel a certain way about it or stop doing certain things because your high school days are over. Graduation is a big deal, but it is also not the end-all be-all. In fact, it is just the start of the rest of your life. So for now, take a deep breath and embrace all feelings you have about it.