As the year comes closer to the end, seniors reflect on their time at school and all they have learned. From dealing with stress, to finding yourself, many students say the past four years have taught them valuable lessons.
Olivia Wathen (12) shared the most valuable things she has learned.
“I would tell the underclassman to just take everyday one step at a time. Don’t rush into things. You need to cherish every single moment that you have in high school, and when you get stressed out, just find something that relieves that stress and run with it. I also learned that you really only need yourself at the end of the day,” said Wathen.
Braden O’Bannon (12) has learned many things over the past years and shared his top three pieces of advice. His first piece of advice is to prioritize the things that you want.
“A lot of the things that I wanted to do I missed because I was just trying to do everything. You’re probably capable of a lot more than you think, but that doesn’t mean that you have to do everything,” said O’Bannon.
O’Bannon said the second piece of advice is always being kind to people.
“It’ll just make you feel better because even if you let out rage or revenge, it’s only temporary, and it’ll make you feel worse overall. So it’s just best to be kind to others and stay true to yourself,” said O’Bannon.
Lastly, O’Bannon said accepting help where it comes is a very important lesson learned.
“I know a lot of times we are solo people, we like to feel accomplished because we do things on our own. But it’s okay to accept help,” said O’Bannon.
Olivia Goff (12) shared her advice on enjoying the high school experience.
“My advice would be to cherish every moment because life will get a lot more stressful, so enjoy your freedom and work hard so that you can build up your future. I try to make sure I go to every party and event to make the most of high school, so also just enjoy things as much as you can,” said Goff.
Johanna Davids (12) shared the things she wished she knew when starting high school.
“I spent a lot of my time taking everything too seriously and thinking about what everybody thought of me far too much. And then this year I really just accepted that I’m not gonna see anyone again. And if I do, it’s my choice,” said Davids.
Davids also learned to focus on yourself, and how you treat the others you love.
“I’ve learned to love, I’ve learned to show people that I love them, and really try to be positive, even if I’m not in the best mood, because those are the moments that matter. Dance in public, really just try to be there when you can, because you won’t see these people again so it doesn’t matter what you do.”
As graduation comes closer, many seniors say these lessons will be carried with them through life. While each person has slightly different advice, the message stays consistent, and Davids was able to capture it into one quote: “Be the most loving, but also the most authentic version of yourself that you can. This is the time to find yourself. And if you spend your time worrying about everyone else, then you’re gonna waste it.”
