Nervous, scared, anxious, relieved, and excited are just a few of the many emotions that I feel as my third year of high school comes to an end.

While graduation and an end to eleven long and stressful years lurks on the horizon, it still feels a bit dream-like. I really can’t believe how close I am to fulfilling my craving for independence.

I was told multiple times how fast my junior year would go by and everyone was right. In just 9 days I will finally be considered a senior and it won’t be long until I’m dressed in my robe and mortar board as I accept my diploma. However, despite the nervousness and excitement that I feel, the emotion that consumes me the most is pride. I’m proud of myself for making it so far. The past eleven years were not easy ones but I pushed through each challenge and worked hard to make it to the last stage known as adulthood before entering a new chapter in my life.

With this sense of satisfaction and pride in mind I think it is important to look back and reflect on some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way. One of the first things I’ve learned is  not everyone is your friend and that now all your new friends are good for you. A lot of people don’t realize how toxic a person is at first. No matter how long you’ve known each other or how good you get along it doesn’t mean they will positively impact your life.

The second thing I’ve learned is to allow yourself to not be pulled into drama because it’s a waste of time and none of it will matter in a year or even a few months.

The third thing I’ve learned is that it’s okay to put your own needs before others. It doesn’t make you selfish if you want to treat yourself every once in a while or simply focus more on your grades or making sure you get done what you need to get done.

A fourth important lesson I’ve  learned is to be yourself. It took awhile for me to learn this, perhaps because it can be scary, but in the end it’s worth being the best you that you can be. Nothing is worth pretending to be someone that you’re not.

The final lesson I learned over these past 11 years is to simply enjoy life. It can be stressful dealing with school work and figuring out the future, while also keeping up with your job and personal life. In fact, it sometimes feels as if I could explode. Even so, the good memories outweigh the bad in school, at work, and at home and these are what make everything joyful.

I am almost there, I almost made it and I couldn’t be more proud of myself. I also can’t believe how close my friends and I are to finally being able to graduate and I couldn’t be happier.