As I reflect on my senior year, I have come face-to-face with the realization that I will never see the people I am currently walking the halls with ever again. The sentiment every senior is left with as the year comes to an end is hitting me now when I thought it never would. As a freshman, I believed my friends would never change, and I was already a fully-formed person, but that was a severely flawed outlook on my life.
Trends on social media always highlight how much change can occur in a year through the popular saying that the person they were one year ago would never believe the person they are now, whether that be for good or for bad. I am feeling that sentiment heavily, but in a good way.
Malden High has brought both good and bad challenges to my life as I faced the highest highs of winning elections and creating a tight community of friends, to the lowest lows of losing those close to me and feeling left out. This year has been a time for me to truly step into who I am and lead the best life I can. I’m not done growing or changing, not even in the slightest bit, but I don’t think I ever will be.
The change in my life that could not have occurred without my community, determination, and the biggest contributor of them all, is my faith in Jesus Christ. Finding Jesus was one thing I had never expected to arise from my high school career, but I am most grateful I did. My life has developed tremendously just by faith alone, and I was able to get through the toughest seasons of life because of it.
As a freshman, I never would’ve recognized the girl I am today. During the majority of my high school years, I burnt out by the end of every year, barely passing by. Yet now I’m the most motivated I have ever been, trying my best to get through my last weeks of school in my senior year. The reality of adulthood is still just over the hill, but it’s getting closer day by day.
My freedom can no longer be challenged as I move into college and experience the life I’ve looked forward to since I was a child. As I sit on the impact I’ve made at Malden High, I am left feeling accomplished while also understanding that I want to continue to impact the communities that came before me in my next chapter of life.
Simmons University is where I will make my new home and impact. I will grow into new communities with new faces all while carrying the spirit of Malden High School in my heart forever. Thank you to the teachers and friends who have inspired me to be selfless, treat others with kindness, and give back to my community. I will always hold the Malden community in my heart as I pursue a career in social work and grow outside of our tight-knit city.
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