University: Nostalgic memories for life

After four years of waiting for this moment, my life as a Titan comes to a close, and the feeling isn’t what I expected. While I imagined a feeling of extreme relief and elation, the reality is that mixed in with my relief and excitement is a deep sense of nostalgia. It is hard to decipher whether I am more excited about: starting the next chapter in my life, or the sadness of saying goodbye to four years’ worth of friends and memories. While it will be hard to say goodbye, I know that I will always look back on my high school years with no regrets — and a smile.

Over the last four years I have built friendships that will stand the test of time along with creating a presence in various activities and clubs, and these have defined my high school experience. As a senior, I moved from being merely a participant in various activities to a leader, and while at times it was daunting and incredibly difficult to lead various groups of my peers, it was an experience I’ll never regret. Being the co-captain of an award-winning color guard and section leader in a phenomenal choir, along with being the president of a prosperous Key Club and active French Club was quite a task, but I loved every minute of it.

I take great pride in my identity as a U-Hi Titan, and I always will. There is such a great stock of young, giving people in our generation, which too often goes unnoticed. While many can only see what is wrong with the youth of today, I can proudly say that this stereotype is false.

It was my privilege to be apart of such a group of young adults in my senior year who raised money and awareness in fighting genocide in Darfur. If there is any proof of the goodness of our generation, it could be found at U-Hi this past year. The support we received from both our faculty and community was a testament to the altruism of our society. This experience has taught me the importance of determination.

My senior year as a U-Hi Titan was a period of growth, preparing me for my life out in “the real world.” I began my senior year with so many expectations about what that year would be like, but quickly my expectations proved to be false. Even though it was the most difficult year of my life thus far, it was also the best. I will never forget the marching band competitions as a part of the color guard, nor will I forget the hours spent serving the community alongside my friends who shared my passion for service, nor the countless hours studying for AP classes.

I took perhaps too many pictures, in fact I was known by all my friends as the girl who always had a camera, but those pictures will help me remember every moment of a wonderful senior year, my last as a Titan.