As a photographer, journalist (person who keeps a journal) and overall sentimental human, I find comfort in collecting memories. My first memory of high school was walking into Treble Clef, silently panicking because I knew no one and was deathly afraid of being alone. This feeling subsided slightly when I encountered a friend from elementary school, and by the end of class, I had gone from complete survival mode to being somewhat excited for the next four years.

I’m a cautious person, so it’s interesting that the things I loved most about high school were also the things I found completely by accident. Although I enjoyed singing, I never imagined myself joining Treble Clef. Chorus had merely been a filler class for me to take until I replaced it with basketball, but that plan changed when Mr. Halop won me over with his limitless energy and objectively terrible sense of humor.

Over time, I’ve only found more reasons to love this class. From taking silly post-concert pictures to singing “Sicut Cervus” whenever we got the chance, the memories I’ve made with my chorus classmates are ones I will always cherish. I am so fortunate to have met such a talented, vibrant group of people, and it is a community I will greatly miss once I graduate.

The Howler was also a class I impulsively joined and quickly became attached to. Photography had always vaguely interested me and I was curious about what I could learn in a classroom setting. With my lack of experience, it’s needless to say that my first photos were disasters, but with these photos came a sense of joy in photography that I had never felt before.

Even as senioritis kicked in and I started caring less about schoolwork, I still found myself wanting to put effort into this class, both for upcoming deadlines and for my own artistic growth. The Howler has taught me valuable lessons about discipline and communication, but I think the most important thing I gained was a new passion that I hope to pursue for a long time.

My first idea for this article was a collection of journal entries that reflected my high school experience, but my journal is mostly uninteresting so I scrapped that idea immediately. However, there’s one entry that I wrote recently and find myself revisiting often. I think it summarizes my current emotions quite well.

April 19 11:17 p.m.:
“I committed to [a college] today?? Yay :0 It still feels unreal but simultaneously extremely real. I feel like I’ve been doing college things since forever but it also feels like time has barely passed since I started applications.

Obviously I’m excited because it’s college!! But I’m also not really good with change. It’s easier to be afraid of losing what you know than to look forward to something you’ve never experienced.”

My high school years weren’t perfect, but they certainly were special. I’ve learned to take risks and to live for myself, two lessons that I will hopefully remember as I attempt to transition into Adulthood™. I’m so grateful for the memories I’ve made at Northwood, and I’m excited for all the new experiences I have yet to encounter.