High school is a time for people to develop themselves into more uniform individuals. It is four years spent trying to understand your passions and getting to know the people around you. These are my takeaways from this spectacular year. I hope you all learn a little something from them.

People think that after four years of a planned curriculum you should have a firm grasp on what you want to continue studying and what your desired profession is. I’m here to tell you that in no way is that true. High school was certainly a time for me to realize what I do NOT find interesting educationally, but it didn’t quite narrow down what I do find interesting. This started weighing because I felt that I was behind the curve. I tried to force myself to find passion in certain classes by telling myself things like, “Whoa, that was interesting!” or “Hey, I’m pretty good at this,” but as much as tried telling myself things along those lines, it never helped me truly understand my passions. This made me realize that passions are developed, not created.

You shouldn’t leave high school thinking that you already know exactly what you want to do. You should allow yourself to attend a university that will help develop you as an individual and help you truly understand yourself. Don’t look into schools based on their rank or off of what people think of that school. Look for a school that truly suits you. Find a school that is located somewhere fun so you can escape the stress of school for an hour, a day, or a weekend. If you enjoy a certain sport or activity that should be a huge factor in you decision making. As important as education is, its not the only thing that you should preoccupy yourself with. Continue fostering your passions somewhere they can be developed and appreciated.

There is much more to your senior year than those first three months of stressing over colleges. Yes, it is true, as senior year progresses the workload gets more relaxed day to day. This means you have much more free time. You should use this time to really get to know your friends and classmates. You should make lifetime memories with them. Enjoy your friends because as life progresses, you won’t get to see your them from 8-3:15 every day. This is a luxury people do not realize they have. You should get to know as many of your classmates as you can. You never know who will end up being a close friend or who you may run into years down the road. Be inviting and open to everyone. Many of these people you will never see again. WY is a place unlike anywhere else. You can see people of every background all uniting. Appreciate it while you still can because it is not likely that your university will have this dynamic.

While the concept of leaving the people you spent the past four years with is rather dismal, it can also be viewed in a positive light. Have as much fun as you can possibly have. Be outgoing. Make friends. Be nice. Make yourself as memorable to everyone as you possibly can so when people look back on their high school yearbook they’ll see your picture and smile and think of a memory they have of you. Try your hardest to make a lasting impression because, like I said, you just might run into some of these people down the road.

Enable yourself to have the best time possible senior year. It is the last time you’ll have this kind of freedom. Get your work done and use your freedom to develop yourself and have great experiences. Don’t let the stress of college applications and admissions bring you down or change your views on anyone else. College is a big crap shoot. Senior year should be the most fun year of your young life. Make sure to enjoy it.