The first day of freshman year, I decided that I had my schedule, or at least the last two classes, memorized. With confidence, I walked into my 6th period math class, and only upon exiting after 55 minutes did I realize that my sixth period was not math but art.

Freshman year was a year of firsts, and I am so glad those firsts did not leave an impression. I’m happy to report that after that incident, my attendance has been relatively consistent—until this semester, of course. Senior year is like a roller coaster with no peaks and never ending dips. Like all things though, it does eventually end, the ride is over, the tunnel at the end opens up onto lines of underclassmen waiting for their turn and the seniors exit their great Grad-venture at the theme park.

There are many regrets of different degrees that I have concerning senior year. Friends I’ll never see again, classes I’ll miss loving and hating, doors I never opened. I’ve thought a lot about what I was going to write in this article, but I think that detailing my struggles throughout high school would be a waste of space. As cheesy as it is, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people that helped me get through the past four years.

First and foremost, thank you to my parents for putting up with all my silliness throughout the years. Your unconditional support throughout high school means the world to me. Thank you to all the teachers I’ve had these four years as well; each of you taught me something new about the way the world works and I’m eternally grateful for your guidance.

To Mrs. Rohrs, McCann, Petrosian and Barin, thank you for giving me a chance, answering every question I’ve had and listening to every suggestion I’ve made, even if half of them were implausible. I couldn’t have gotten through this year without your patience. Thank you IDAC for being my arts family and putting up with my distracted rambling every Wednesday at lunch.

By far the best thing about this year was the people I met. I can genuinely say that high school would’ve been a Shrek-less swamp without my friends, so thank you guys for being onions with me. Shout out to Zaira for being the best co-arts commissioner a stressed out senior could ask for. To the rest of my ASBesties, thank you all for making my third period so much fun.

Of course, this article would not be complete without mention of The Howler. Thank you for being the first organization on campus where I felt like I belonged and was wanted. If you look at my first couple of Howler graphics, it’s clear that the Howler has taught me so much, both in my art and in my interactions with other people. Thank you to the wonderful Mrs. Alburger for always pushing everyone to be their best and thank you to the Howler artists for being some of the most skilled and genuinely amazing people I have ever met.

Finally, I’d like to thank my fellow seniors. I’m so honored that I get to graduate alongside you, and so proud of the resilience I see every day.

Despite complaints that we never showed up to school, I’m glad that we showed up for each other. See you later, T-wolves.