Senior year isn’t as glamorous as people portray it to be. I haven’t felt like a “senior.” That could be because I’ve been confused for a sophomore ever since I got here, but still. The only thing I wish I have done sooner was join journalism.

You realize by the time November hits that your time is limited, and you have to do a bunch of things to achieve that “high school experience.” It’s a lot of pressure on your academics and social life in the sense that you want to hang out with your friends and create those memories, but you also have to study for that test in order to keep your GPA.

Senior year shows you the people that are always by your side and the ones that are using you. Granted, you’ll be seeing those people wherever you go, because that’s life and we’ll just have to suck it up.

This year is pressuring us to live up to that “high school experience,” to realize how we’ll act in “the real world” and make memories while maintaining a high GPA.

However, that shouldn’t limit us. If you want to focus only on your academics this year, then go for it. If you realized that you don’t particularly like a certain club or organization that you’re in, then that’s okay. Don’t feel like it’s too late to find another passion or to create yourself. Don’t let the pressure of senior year overwhelm you.

It’s okay to graduate high school having never gone to a football game or never been a part of a club; everyone transitions on their time, and it’s okay to take longer.

Senior year can be bittersweet. Parting your friends and teachers isn’t an easy thing to do, but that’s also how life is going to be.

This year helped me create myself and who I want to be. It made me see the possibilities of trying something new, the rise and the downfall.

I have to say though, I have never imagined writing my final feature and sports story to be this emotional. I’m going to miss pulling kids out of their classes in the name of journalism. Joining the newspaper was the best decision I didn’t make. It was so scary because I was mainly a  yearbook writer, so adjusting to the newspaper style was nothing short of challenging. However, I’m glad I’m a part of this.

I will never forget my days here. What started as a passion for photography transitioned to photojournalism and landed at designing and writing stories. I hope one day I’ll be writing or taking photos for a bigger paper, and maybe someday, I’ll hold a bigger position. I will never forget the time we all screamed for earning an All-Kansas award, or all the silly quotes we wrote on our signs. This paper will forever be a part of me.

So with this column, I bid you my farewell. With this column, I sign off my Blue M account. Writing for this paper and for the yearbook will forever be the highlight of my year.

Thank you for all the teachers that have helped me, not only academically but personally as well. Thank you for all the lost friendships for making me realize that I don’t need you. Thank you senior year for all the all-nighters and for helping me understand what needs to be done to succeed.