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College presents a new challenge
Grace Rasulo
Updated: May 22, 2012 10:49AM
I know it sounds cliché, but time really does fly.
I graduate from high school in a week, yet I feel like I’m still a freshman. I remember so perfectly my first day of school, nervous about my uniform, getting lost and being late to my first class, stressing out all day about where I was going to sit at lunch.
At the time, those things seemed like they were the end of the world. I was as afraid of walking through the halls as I was of a great white shark.
But look how far I’ve come. I walk through the hallways with my big bad senior mentality. I could walk anywhere in the school with my eyes closed. I know all the teachers, many of the students, have mastered managing time and homework, and I go through each and every day with all the confidence in the world.
As my days left in good old Western Springs are coming to a close, I’ve been reflecting heavily on everything I’ve been through. Everyone always says that, “high school is the fastest and most fun four years of your life.” And I guess they were pretty much correct.
High school was hard. The workload was enough to cause a weekly mental breakdown. I struggled with making friends and keeping them. Maintaining good grades while spending three or four hours a day rehearsing for plays and musicals was a task in itself.
Looking back, it was a fast couple of years, but each week seemed to last a lifetime. Despite everything that was negative about it (and trust me, there was plenty) I learned a lot.
I learned more about myself through high school than I did through all my years before it. I was taught to work hard and challenge myself in all of my classes. I learned to be outgoing and confident. I learned to be strong-willed and not give in to pressure, just to do what I think is right. I’ve learned to be responsible and dedicated.
Soon enough I’m going to be right back where I was four years ago. I’ll be living in a different state with tens of thousands of people I don’t know, probably getting lost on campus a million times, all on my own. The bottom of the food chain once again.
I know I will be scared. But somehow, I feel a little at peace. I’m sad to leave behind my home and everything I know and love here. But the lessons I’ve learned in high school have made me a better and more confident person.
This mountain looks mighty steep, but I know I can conquer it. I can enter into my college experience knowing that I will eventually come out on top. And that is the most comforting news of all. Goodbye Western Springs. You’ll always be home, but its time to conquer some new territory.
Grace Rasulo of Western Springs is a student at Fenwick High School
