After about 12 years of hard work and education, I am finally a senior. I am at the top of the high school hierarchy. I remember watching my siblings graduate and thinking, ”When will it be my time? ” Now, all of a sudden, it is! This year is a year of “lasts”; last first day of high school, last exam, last prom, last paper. ” It is a scary thought, but also exciting. This year is going to be one of the most emotional and crazy years of one’s life. It is a year of reflection on what goals, fears and plans are for the future. My senior year, compared to others, is a little bit different.
I can say it has been a big adjustment. I just recently moved from Cary, North Carolina to Parkersburg, West Virginia. So, although it is a year of “lasts”, it is also a year of “firsts”. I already miss things from where I lived before. I constantly think about my friends back home and remember all the great times we had. Also, I miss my family that has been there for me through thick and thin. It really isn’t that easy to stop those nostalgic feelings from forming. I don’t know if one calls that easier or harder to leave for college because I somewhat know what it feels like.
I don’t have those established relationships and connections here. Is this going to be another hit to the heart because I will eventually grow to love them too? Those thoughts are constantly in my head, like a broken record player. One of my fears of being a senior is Senioritis. I am afraid that once I get accepted into a college I will suddenly get the feeling that I have done it all and it’s time to coast and enjoy myself. I can’t afford to that. With two advance placement classes, two college courses, and a significant number of electives, I have to constantly be on my toes.
From here on out, it seems like it will become a sprint. I will have to get the grades I need, get all of my applications filled out and be sure to keep getting enough sleep throughout the process. I am doing my best to stay ahead of the game. I tend to be a bit of a procrastinator, so the more I can stay ahead, the more prepared I will be for whatever else comes at me. Another fear that comes to mind is how much I am going to miss my mom. I have always been excited to live in my own place, have a job, and earn my own money. But it makes me sad to think that this is the last chance I have to spend a lot of time with her.
Have I taken full advantage of the time I’ve had? Of course it’s fun to think about being independent and responsible, but it’s not fun thinking I can never go back. I will no longer be a child she can rescue. I will be an adult, and will be on my own The most frequent question a senior asks his or herself is “what am I going to do after high school? ” My dream is to help people. My goal is to become an orthopedic surgeon. Once I attain this, I want to go into the military and use my skills as a surgeon. It would not matter where I was living as long as I am making a difference in the world.
This dream partially came from my mom because she helps and makes a difference everyday as nurse. I have so much respect toward her. She inspired me to help those who cannot. I have always wanted to go into the military. It was a calling. Something deep inside said this is that path I need to take. Throughout the years my determination for this dream to come true only gets stronger and stronger. I would like to go to college at NC State, UNC, or Wilmington. From there I would study pre-med and a military science program. After that, medical school and enlist in the navy.
From there live out my dream and make a difference in the world. Hopefully, I can keep things together in my final year in high school. This is the last time to get it right. I have big dreams that I am eager to fulfill. Even though I am new, I look around the high school sometimes and realize that next year I won’t be here. A year ago I could not even wrap my head around that concept. Now I am a senior, like it or not every day the future becomes more real. The idea of college and life after college becomes less of an intangible fantasy and more of a hard reality.
