It is difficult to think about how my time at Ames High is ending. I’m actually having a really hard time comprehending it. It seems like I just moved here and was looking forward to high school. Now I’m preparing to graduate and move on to the next step of my life. Sometimes I cannot wait to get out of here, and other times it hits me that everything is changing from this point on, but if there is one thing I have learned recently, it’s to take advantage of every opportunity that I am given. I don’t have any regrets from my last four years. Even though sometimes things get difficult, I know that every experience I have had has helped shape me into the person that I am today.

There are two big things that I want to tell non-seniors. The first is to stay on top of everything. It can seem like you have a lot of time to do everything, like homework, projects, etc., but time moves quickly. Pretty soon you will be at the end of your senior year and you are going to have a lot to do. Don’t get in the habit of putting things off until the last minute, because you’ll just end up creating unnecessary stress for yourself, trust me. The other really important thing is to have fun. High school is stressful, but you’re only going to be here for four years. You’re only going to be with the same people for four years. Enjoy the time that you spend here; it’s really not that bad of a place, and you’re never going to get it back.

Everything has been moving so quickly lately, and sometimes I find myself too lost in what I am doing to appreciate everything around me. I have been so blessed with the people in my life, and wouldn’t be where I am today without my family and friends. When I moved here, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Everyone here has helped me grow into the person that I am, and I don’t know what I would do without them. My experiences in Ames have been life-changing and sometimes I forget how much I have changed over the last four years. As I prepare to take the journey into the next step of my life, I don’t want to forget everything that made me who I am.