Graduation is coming. After navigating the locker-lined hallways and running from class to class for almost 720 days, I’m sure a majority of us are eager to walk on North Field and to get those diplomas. But first, let’s turn back time a little, back to freshman year.
To be honest, when I stepped through the front gates on that momentous first day of high school, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Would my next four years be a seemingly endless repetition of classes and homework? Would they be consumed entirely by community service activities? Or would I be thrown into the dumpster day after day, smelling faintly of slurpees?
Thankfully, what has happened in the past years fits none of those exactly. What really happened is so much more than what I could have imagined. I’ve made so many amazing memories and met so many amazing people.
How could I ever forget the rendition of “Romeo and Juliet” with a twist we performed in freshman year, with Mr. Lieu laughing at us the entire time, or Mr. Shore’s secret to getting pizza in college or even Ms. Bulgin’s wry smile when we burst into a loud chorus of “hustled!” after learning about a new integration technique? The truth is, I don’t think I can.
Nor can I ever forget the numerous late nights I’ve spent working on the Rampage, either editing articles or fixing up the News page. I’m going to miss hearing the familiar sounds of Bubble Shooter and watching people compete for the Doge 2048 crown. The days of ordering Thai food and having my head used as an armrest will be over.
Next year, it’ll be difficult to remember that I’m no longer the News Editor. Rampage wasn’t just another class to me: I found another family.
Through a lucky turn of events, I’ll be travelling 375 miles to UC Berkeley in the fall with someone who could very well end up being the best roommate in the world because we can share marathons of “The X-Files” or whatever show is on at the time; on the other hand, she could end up being the worst roommate to have ever existed because we might just end up sleeping through morning lectures after finishing the marathons at six in the morning.
Underclassmen, I’m just kidding about the six in the morning part: please don’t do it. Streaming “Game of Thrones” in the middle of the night may be fun for a while, but it’ll hit you hard in the morning. Trust me on this.
Take whatever classes you want to take and don’t limit yourself to signing up for the classes you think will make you look the most impressive to college admissions officers. Explore your boundaries and don’t be afraid to learn new things and to get your feet wet.
No matter who you are, you’re bound to experience some event that’ll bring you down, but don’t let it linger in your brain for too long. In the words of everyone’s favorite blue tang Dory, “just keep swimming.” A lousy grade or a dismal SAT score won’t be the end of your journey unless you let it. Similarly, college rejections don’t define you because you’re really more than just a list of extracurriculars and a few numbers. So keep your head up and move on. You’ll get there in the end.
When this issue is published, there will be a week remaining until the five hundred or so students in the Class of 2014 leave what we’ve known for the past four years for a future waiting to be explored, until we throw our green and gold mortarboards up into the air, until we leave Temple City High School for something new, something different.
And I can’t wait.
TCHS School Newspaper