Finally, after four years of non-stop work, four years of anxiety, four years of fear, and four years of dedication, I am going to graduate from high school. Graduation is set for May 29 at Constitution Hall finally.

However, all of this finally has me wondering: what will I do after I walk across that stage and take my diploma?

After May 29, I will probably move to my father’s house – I live with my mother now – as I want to have more freedom and I want to be able to do all of the things that I want to during the summer without as much oversight as I have now. I have many different plans for the summer. After four years of hard work and after a pretty unforgettable senior year I want to go out and release all the stress from my life and be able to be free from the constraints of the life that I have at the moment.

My first plan for the summer is to  head to Ocean City with my best friends Lance and Kingsley. We plan to be at Ocean City for three days and, considering how wild they can be at times, I know that I am going to have a really good time.

The fact that I will end the summer by heading to college where I will have many new responsibilities in my life makes me want to have an even more adventurous and wild summer vacation. I want to travel to some other places with my closest friends after Ocean City; I want to be able to have fun and make memories that will last the rest of my life.

Every summer before this has been nothing but a waste of time. I had to stay home due to an overprotective mother, but now that never ending-boredom will finally come to an end. I’m going to try and do things that I have never done before so that I can finally shed my shell of being shy and reserved. I want to become a different and better person over my summer break. I am certainly not the only person who dreams of having an amazing summer that will change me for the better, but I’m going to do all I can to make it happen. For me and for my peers in the Class of 2018, let’s make the rest of the school year and this summer one where we make memories that will last us a lifetime.