Sebastian Cisneros

Left to right: Derek Fernandez, Joshua Salgado, Daniel Martinez, Joshua Felix, Damian Maya, Sebastian Cisneros, Anthony Cristofaro, Adam Fahz, Jason Hernandez, Erik Raygoza and Teru Carter at prom. As graduation approaches, events like prom become some of the last memories students share together before moving on to the next chapter in life.

High school, dang, was that a time to be had.

People always say these are supposed to be the best four years of your life, but they never really tell you how stressful, exhausting and emotional it can be as well. Looking back at these last four years, I realized high school was never really about grades, popularity, or even all the events people hype up so much. It was about growing up. It was about trying to figure out who you are while also trying to meet certain expectations. It was dealing with pressure, making new friends, losing some too and trying to prepare yourself for whatever comes next.

Students today deal with more stress than people think. According to an article from the American Psychological Association, the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, states that teens report stress levels that are higher than what they believe is healthy, and school is one of the biggest reasons why. 

Between assignments, tests, sports, work and life outside of school, there’s always something waiting for you. I believe this is why those who are already out of high school tend to lose the memory of what it was. Behind every student is someone just trying to keep everything together and make sense of their life at the same time.

Despite all of the stress, there was still something good about it.

I’m going to remember sitting late at night looking at my Chromebook trying to get my work done before 11:59, only to feel good when it was finally turned in. At the time, every day felt like a cycle. You wake up, go to school, go home and do it all again. It felt normal. Now, looking at it, those were the times that were shaping us all.

Freshman year well, school, felt so close, but now we are closer to seeing people get married than the first day of elementary. I still remember everyone was posting their BeReals, I know its a throwback, or even watching the World Cup in biology class. At the time, those things felt small and unimportant, but now they’re the moments that instantly remind me of those times.

High school was where I learned some things that I never learned in a classroom. It made me understand how to use my time, how to get through busy weeks, and how the people I surrounded myself with shaped me. Some friendships I still have and some faded over time. To be honest,  some of those I speak to daily, I might not see again after graduation. That’s just life.

The things that I remember most about high school are the little things that I didn’t care about at the time. Playing video games while you’re supposedly doing homework. My friends joking after a hard math test was over; shoutout to Mrs. Mach. Trying to finish assignments right before midnight which was horrible for my sleep the next morning. Walking into class half asleep with AirPods in blasting Drakeo The Ruler or GirlzLuhDev. Even watching people rush to finish those math packets right before the bell rang, or hearing someone remind the teacher we had homework. That was horrible but hilarious. Those random everyday moments are what made high school feel genuine to me.

I also learned that success in high school isn’t always straight A’s or awards. Sometimes success is just making it through the week and showing up the next day. Everyone acts like they know what they’re doing, but honestly, most of us are just figuring it out as we go.

Now that senior year is finally coming to an end, I know I won’t remember every assignment or every test or really most of my classmates. I’ll remember how it felt in those moments to be a kid. I can’t believe these years have flown by as quickly as they did. You should really listen to your parents and not wish to be an adult. I definitely regret it. 

Through the most stressful days, the laughs with friends, the sleepless nights, the random moments and even the boring uneventful days, that was high school. And for some reason, even though I hated it, it was fun. Just fun.