By Hannah Kwok,
Graduating Staff Writer
The gift of a mistake or a fault has guided me through my time here at TCHS. Hopefully these lessons from my journey can give you some insight or relieve any stress. Good luck
Class of 2028, forehead kisses for you all.
Losing interest in something that you used to enjoy can be miserable, even more so when deciding if you should move on or not. From my experience playing cello in Orchestra for six years and deciding to switch to Rampage my senior year, I’ve learned not
only the importance of quitting, but the sense of self-growth and satisfaction from redirection. The word quitting often has a negative connotation but I’d like to take a more positive perspective. Don’t thinkofitasanendallbeall situation but rather a chance for a new opportunity—to do something that will flourish your potential and satisfy your ambitions. While challenging yourself is important, it is best to understand your limits. In a way, it means to also respect yourself as a person and retire something that no longer serves you.
As youth, we often become more involved with technology and less interested in the activity of reading. And, I don’t mean a school assigned material or some Instagram infographic, but rather, a real story piece that brings you sheer joy and curiosity. With the stress of school I slowly lost touch with my love of books. The To Be Read list only piled as my phone scrolling molded me into a shell full of brain mush and sleep deprivation. Reading shouldn’t feel like a chore, but I truly recommend you implement it more into your daily habits. Aside from reading’s benefits of challenging your creativity and improving your social and literacy skills, it has also proven to calm anxiety and increase emotional intelligence. So next time before you hit the hay, let’s set down that device and get hooked on a good book; you never know what world you’ll discover next!
After COVID-19, I struggled to adjust to the regular morning routine of going to school. Eating breakfast was nauseating and taking the time to sleep became a task of its own. But, the more I tried to convince myself that I was okay, the more I felt completely burnt out. At multiple points it had gotten so bad that I was leaving sixth period to be treated in the ER for internal bleeding. I was so focused on feeding my passions by juggling multiple classes and extracurriculars at once, that I forgot to nurture my body. Luckily with the help of doctors, my family, challenging the school’s breakfast, and meeting regularly with my amazing counselor Mr. Slaymaker, I began to change my mindset and fill my own cup for once. Please
know that you are never alone and it is okay to ask for help; loving yourself is the greatest resolution of all.
After speaking with friends about a review of our high school experience, much of the topic was dominated by the burden of school work and the stress of college expectations. Conversations like these often leave us with sour impressions of our four years rather than seeing it as an experience of our growth. If I have any last thoughts for a Senior Goodbye, it would be to remind people that school isn’t everything, experiences are. Instead of planning or burying yourself in the pressure of your future major or career, I urge you to immerse yourself in the real world. Explore clubs, internships, side-hustles, volunteer projects and more—but do it with the purpose of furthering your interests, not just your resume. High school is not like the movies and it will be tough; so work hard for your personal goals, not what you think you should want. This is the perfect time to be involved in your community and take a swing at multiple fields; until then may you find the best and most fulfilling fit for you.