Four years… gone so fast. Only yesterday we were awkward freshmen walking in the doors, wondering what the next four years would bring. We were all starting fresh: new school, new people, new stresses, new opportunities and experiences. The seniors looked so mature and intimidating. A year later, as sophomores, we had found some friends, made some memories, and started to get agitated by the confinement of high school. It felt as if it was going to last forever!

Then came junior year, the first year of being upperclassmen: driving, Kairos, and college visits. At this point, we had all made some collective memories, failed some tests, and learned to hate the ACT. It was the year some of us started to get the first hint of senioritis. In general, most just wanted to be done with high school and have the freedom of being in college.

But then senior year came along. And darn, it’s weird to look at the freshmen and wonder if we were that small and childish four years ago. And it’s even crazier that we all started applying to colleges… some attainable and some not. It became really real when classmates started to actually commit to colleges… and when a good friend decided to go to a school eight hours… by plane… away. And then we ourselves decided to go to a university three hours away from home…. That hit hard …. No going home to parents to complain about life after a bad day. No calling up a best friend and spontaneously hanging out. And probably having to rely on public transportation or live in a small box with another person who may turn out to be the roommate from hell. It’s kinda funny how we were all so excited to get away, but never really thought that much about it.

From meeting new friends to potentially figuring out our lives, there’s just so much to figure out and look forward to. Because the best is yet to come. But for now, we should try to embrace the present. In these last few days, really look at the members of the Class of 2017. We should truly appreciate our favorite teachers and spend extra time with good friends. Before long, these last few days will be over, and we will walk across the stage at E. J. Thomas.

For now, let’s just live in the moment and take it all in.