Goodbye Whitney Young

Cameron Cox

I wanted to begin this letter with an anecdote of my first day of school at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, but to be quite honest, I don’t remember it at all. I was a short, chubby, giddy 12 year old that had no idea my life would change so dramatically over the next 6 years. My academic center years at this school were the best. They were filled with after school hang outs in the arts building, walks at lunch to Ella’s Corner, and even field trips to local landmarks. Imagining 4 more years here did not seem difficult at the time. I had an established group of friends by the time freshman year came around and I was content with the workload I was receiving. Looking back now, I was probably at my happiest during that year. My social life was blossoming and sporting events were the best they had ever been thanks to our superstar, Jahlil Okafor. Joining the poms team that year was something that impacted my high school dance career for the best. The team showed me the importance of hard work and sisterhood, two things I would learn to value forever. After freshman year, I finally started maturing and with that came…dating. This is one stage of my life that I wish never would’ve happened. Being the student I am, I tried desperately not to let my love life affect my academic career but sometimes it was simply inevitable. Now that I’m a senior I realize these temporary relationships (whether they be romantic or not) will not matter in the long run. This mindset has allowed me to get through plenty of heartbreaks and rough times with my closest friends. Here I am, 18 years old and so ready to leave high school. I feel my growth has now peaked in this setting and in order to keep prospering, internally and externally, I have to progress to the next step in my life. I’m thankful for everything this school has taught me but at one point in my life I was so over it. Every student will come that point in their lives and they’ll grow from it. I wish any incoming 7th grader or freshman luck because this is truly a rigorous but liberating journey!