I distinctly remember telling my parents I wanted a cat when I was a kid, only to be told that I should wait until I was 18. I whined and threw a massive tantrum, crying that “I won’t be 18 until foreverrrrrrr! I want a cat todayyyyyyy!”

I’m 18 now (though unfortunately still cat-less), and my many years of experience in the field have told me that 18 years is not, in fact, forever.

On one hand, I kind of wish it were. My high school years have held some of my most treasured moments, and I would give the world to be able to relive some of those experiences. Many of my favorite memories are from chorus, from Mr. Halop’s jokes and Ms. Keiko’s tough love to the glare of spotlights and pumping adrenaline of performances. I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I hadn’t decided to take chorus these past four years.

I’m also immeasurably glad to have participated in the musical this year, something that I regretted putting off my freshman year after COVID-19 began. As exhaustingly fun as the rehearsals were, the people I met and the lessons I learned will live rent-free in my mind.

Of course, I could never talk about my favorite memories without mentioning Howler. Although I joined rather abruptly my junior year, I wouldn’t have traded my eighth period for anything. Inhaling deadline day boba, overdoing it with the Clip Studio Paint liquify tool and chilling in the pod while acting as an imposter graphic artist have been a few of the many experiences I hold dear in Room 1102. The lack of an Oxford comma (see previous sentence), though, is something that I won’t miss (just kidding, AP style forever—I say while not being a writer).

But, on the other hand, I’m ready to head off, depart, jump out of the nest, be free. There is so much more out there than high school and AP tests and 4.0 GPAs (disclaimer: I am not discouraging people from taking APs and getting 4.0 GPAs), and I’m excited for a new journey ahead, with new people, places and lessons to be learned.

Perhaps one of the most meaningful lessons I’ve learned from being in chorus is that you work for months leading up to a performance, but once it’s over, it’s over, and really, it’s over in an instant.

You get one shot with the audience you’ve got, and that’s it. Then, you find a new goal or a new purpose and you repeat that cycle. And from being a Howler photographer, I learned that moments can only be lived once, no matter how you try to capture them, so it’s important to treasure them as they come.

The end of my high school performances draw near, and it’s going to be bittersweet. I will miss all the people who are leaving with me, all the people who will be in the nest for a few more years and all the people who built our nests and nurtured us in them. I can only hope that in the years that I’ve been practicing and performing, I’ll have left an impression on both my audience and my fellow performers and that we will one day be on the same stage again.

But until then, I stand under a fading spotlight on a well-worn stage taking a bow; it’s my turn to be in the audience seat for those of you who are staying and keeping the seniors’ legacy alive. Thank you for having me these past four years, and see you all around.