Throughout high school, I always wondered what would have happened if I had just done this one thing differently or that other one instead.

I never realized how blessed I am to have had so many friends to support me over the course of my life. The highs, the lows, the loud moments, the quiet moments; I am proud to say that I have friends who are there beyond just when it is important. We laughed together, we cried together, and we traveled together; it would be an understatement to say that many, including me, take these kinds of experiences for granted, so here is my divine thanks to them.

There is also one thing I’ve realized now: if there was a place to grow with the naivety of youth and the pursuit of a matured version of yourself, high school is definitely the place to do so regardless of how you do it. After being plopped into the new district of Arcadia Unified right after having skipped my previous district’s entire middle school due to the pandemic, I was rightfully afraid of trying new things and meeting new people. Little me would have never guessed that I would find so many new interests to the point where I get sad that I didn’t get to do all 20 of my favorite hobbies in a single day, meet so many great new people to the point where I could see a familiar face behind every corner I turn in school, or be honored to make hoodies for so many students.

When you navigate through the maze that is high school, it is hard to see anything besides the looming chance of escape. You completely set your sights on trying to get out of what you deem as monotonous and boring. Along the way, you may have wondered whether or not you should have taken that previous turn, or whether the path you are on right now is a dead end. But once you finally make it out, friends by your side, the experience and knowledge of the maze instilled within you, you are made to realize that regardless of what point you were at in your story, you were going to be okay. 

Perhaps the best thing about being a senior to me is that I am able to see my experience for what it is. It wasn’t perfect, and yes, different decisions could have been made, but I would never exchange the life, experience, and people I have now only for the chance to have it “better” than I do now. 

If I was able to talk to my immediate post-pandemic self, I would say to him that, yes, you will have challenges, and you will struggle, but it is those you do it with and how you deal with it that makes this experience yours.