The thing I will miss the most about high school is the people. Because of COVID, I went so long without seeing or talking to people, that getting to hear people laugh and see people smile has been an absolute joy. I’ll greatly miss saying “Hi!” to people in the hallways as well.

I am most proud of the hard work I did after joining the school year a month late. I was in four AP classes, and was told to catch up on all the work I missed, whilst not falling farther behind. It was an immense and very stressful task, but I was able to overcome it by the beginning of the second semester. It also taught me the value of hard work, and it showed me that I can do anything I put my mind to.

I hope to be remembered as someone who greeted everyone with a smile, and is known to be a hard worker. I believe everyone needs someone who will smile at them, and give them hope for the future. If I even made a difference in only one person’s life, I would be satisfied.

While my dreams of being accepted into the Naval Academy ended with a rejection letter, I still have hope for my future. Even though I didn’t have a backup plan, I’m going to take the next year day by day and see where it takes me. I hope to do lots of traveling, and find work somewhere that makes me happy.

This last year taught me the value of hard work and friendship, and the importance of seeing people as people. It also taught me that life never goes to plan, and that’s okay. It happens. It’s no excuse, however, for giving up on the things you value, and your dreams. Life will go on, and we just have to have faith there is something better waiting for us out there.