I started counting my lasts in July. Last StuCo camp, last journalism workshop, last lock-in, last first day, last exam, last semester, last UIL event, last award ceremony, and now this: my last blog.
I’ve put writing this blog off just about as long as I could. Not because this story would be the last one I wrote for this site, or because I was too sad to be leaving high school, but because I couldn’t put the words together. I wracked my brain for words that would perfectly summarize four incredible years in this school. In this program. Words that recognize and celebrate the immense success we had this year. There are so many words I could use, but I landed on thank you. Because when I reflect on the success I had the past four years, there’s so many people that were there along the way. So many people to thank.
The first, my advisers. When a man I’d never met tapped me on the shoulder at a choir concert in eighth grade, I was not only completely scared but also completely dumbfounded about how this guy found me. After all, I wasn’t in choir and had never been to one of their concerts. This man, along with my mom, was convinced I had to join his program in high school. I had to be a journalist. I had no plan, nothing to be involved in and so I joined. I spent a year in J1 wondering what the hype was all about, and when this class would be one I looked forward to. Now, this is one of the only classes I look forward to, and I finally understand the hype. It’s the people. Of course, the students in the program, but also the advisers who support me unconditionally. They’re successful in this program because they’re successful in life – they lead with compassion and understanding. They’re selfless and dedicated to the students that make up this program, and without either of them, I know my path would look so different today. Not only because I found a passion in this program, but because each of them literally had a hand in my future. Mallett, because he recommended OU for everything journalism and media related, and Dearinger, because I don’t know another advisor that would camp out in a coffee shop in Austin to pick out dorm rooms in the middle of a trip. I’m so thankful for who they both are, and for pouring into me the way they have. If I can be a fraction of the people they are, I know I will be successful in life.
These past four years of my life have been nothing short of incredible, but none of it would have been possible without my parents supporting me through each and every step. While yes, paying for the trips I was on, the shirts I needed or the last-minute supplies we forgot about was so important, their support in other ways: the hours upon hours they spent editing proofs, the trips they took with me, from NYC and Boston, to early-morning trips to Austin for awards, and the hours they spent waiting by the phone for results from our competitions, means the world to me. I’ve cherished the years we’ve grown so close more than anything, and know life will look so different next year without seeing you both every day and night, but I thank you for everything you’ve helped me accomplish and love you more than you know.
And to the people who made these four years the best they could have been, my friends. Whenever something doesn’t go right or as expected, I love to joke that maybe it was the friends I met along the way that was more important, and nothing could be more true of my high school career. Each year brought a new staff, and new friends. I’ve met so many of my best friends in this program, and no amount of thank you’s would be enough to express my gratitude to such loving, caring and supportive people. If there was one thing I wish of this time in my life, it’d be that I didn’t have to leave such incredible people. To my staff, who so quickly become my friends each year, and my editors, who, though they may be annoyed by my 11 p.m. texts and late-night rants, have grown to be some of my closest friends, thank you. Every person played a part in my life over the last four years, and while I’ll miss you like crazy, am so thankful for who you are and what you’ve meant to me.
Of course, the most common question as a senior is “Are you sad to graduate?”
The answer is no. While I can’t begin to imagine what life looks like without seeing the friends I’ve known since I was 9 everday, I’m so grateful for the impact they’ve had on my life. It’s so hard to be sad about a high school career that has been littered with success, academically, in journalism and in life. I learned so much in this school – educational things of course, but also, so much about myself and about life. These past four years have prepared me for success, and I’m so thankful for it.
So with that, thank you to each of these groups, and each of these people. Thank you for four years of laughs, inside jokes, late nights, fun trips and lasting memories. Thank you to the most incredible staff for the best last year, and finally, thank you to a program that makes it so hard to say goodbye.
