You’ve heard your parents and your friends say it. They even say it the movies. Most of us have come to really believe it. “High school is the best four years of your life,” they say. Well, I’m here to tell you that that need not be the case.

After graduating high school, we have our whole lives ahead of us; we can be who we want to be, accomplish what we set our minds to and live the life we’ve always dreamed about as kids. But how could we do all of that if the peak of our lives, the four best years, were in high school?

We need to look beyond the boundaries of these four walls and realize the awesome lives that we still have yet to live.

I’m not saying that high school wasn’t an amazing time for me. I can truly say that I loved my high school experience and especially my move to Southwest. This senior class is full of incredibly unique, caring,  supportive people and I think the whole student body would join me in saying that they will leave a huge gap next year. The community here is something that I’ve never experienced before and I’m so grateful to all of my amazing friends and teachers who have made my time here spectacular. Leaving is going to be one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.

But that’s just it – I’m not leaving my whole life behind. Because the fulfillment of my life doesn’t end when I walk the stage at graduation. This “end” that everyone is talking about, this “graduation,” is really only the beginning.