This year has been a whirlwind. They always say senior year will have the hardest classes and the most stressful schedule, however, I realized that wasn’t what made senior year difficult for me. Of course, the impending questions of what your “goal” or “path” is after high school and the deadlines for colleges you weren’t even sure would accept you were (underwhelming stated) a stress within itself. Yet, all those problems seem minuscule in comparison to the realization that what I had known my whole life is finally coming to end, that a chapter in my life was beginning to close for good.

I will no longer be able to see the people that I grew up with every day, or the teachers that I had complained to about a bad grade. I will no longer be able to come home every day and see my mom who would be expecting me to do dishes without even giving me a chance to take off my shoes.

I would now have to meet new professors and new friends. I would now come “home” to a dorm shared with other people, instead of my sisters. I will be expected to take care of myself, drive myself, pay bills for myself, and take responsibility for myself.

Of course, I have always been a very mature person and I am prepared to embrace “adulthood” or whatever that title entails. However, there is still a part of me holding on to my childhood which, quite frankly, I feel that I am losing.

Graduation has always been something people teased in front of my face. I would praise people or express jealousy at the seniors who were graduating. Now that my time to graduate is here, I’m more jealous of the people that get to stay at Junction City High School rather than the people that have left.

This school and this town, although small and bland, has molded me into the person I am today. I am absolutely sure that JCHS has taught me to appreciate people’s differences and appreciate every opportunity I get to learn. The teachers and students have brought me out of my shell that I once was confined to during freshman year – quiet, reserved, and self-conscious. Now I can proudly say I am confident, outgoing, and ambitious. I wholeheartedly feel that I owe this transformation to my friends, students, and teachers I have met during high school.

I would like to also dedicate this farewell to all the teachers that have dedicated to me. In particular, Mr. Goheen – who has made me realize my true artistic talent and how to channel it, Mr.McFarland – who has shown me that a teacher can be your teacher but also your friend, and Mr.Walter – who has made me realize that through writing I can make a difference and that I can utilize my voice for a bigger cause other than my own.

Similarly, my friends are the foundation of my happiness during high school. You know who you are and I hope you know that I value our relationships more than anything.

On the bright side, I am excited for what the future holds for me. I know that in college I will have the chance to truly be myself and take control of my life. I have always had a yearning for independence, however in college I know I will be able to harness this autonomy, bringing a new sense of freedom that I have never felt before.

Although I am ending a chapter in my life, I also opening up a new one. At Junction City High School I was a blue jay, now at the University of Kansas, I will become a Jayhawk. I can finally say that once a bird, always a bird. And I’m ready to spread my wings.