Looking back and looking forward to what comes next

The last four years of my life have been nothing short of busy, exciting, fun, and impactful. I started high school in the fall of 2019, and going from middle school into the high school world was quite interesting. I was so excited to start the journey of the next four years in high school, including all of the school dances, field trips, sports games, fun times with friends, meeting new people, and learning new things in the classroom. I remember how I felt entering into, what I thought was, this huge world of high school that had so much to offer. Now looking back four years later, I would have never expected to have such a chaotic and impactful four years. 

With my freshman year being the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and not returning back to school fully until my junior year, it was definitely a different experience than I was expecting. Even with all of the challenges that life has presented me over the past four years, I am very grateful for all that has made me into the person that I am today. 

During my sophomore year of high school, I was blessed to be able to undergo a much-needed ankle surgery that I pushed aside for some time. At that time, the school system was doing virtual learning because of the pandemic. In some ways, virtual school was a blessing in disguise because I was still able to attend class from the comfort of my couch and heal properly from my surgery. I was able to resume playing soccer about eight months later and learned a lot about myself during those months of healing. Even though this was not the easiest experience, I was able to come out stronger. 

Finally, in the fall of 2021, I was able to attend school fully in person with the rest of my peers. This was also my first year being able to play soccer for Oakland Mills, which was so much fun. Getting back into the swing of things and seeing people again after being stuck inside for a year raised its challenges, however, it all turned out to be good. Some of those experiences truly allowed me to grow as a person and it built my excitement for what is to come after high school. 

This school year is my last year in high school. I decided to take dual-enrollment classes at Howard Community College and take one class a day here at Oakland Mills. It has been great to start to get used to the “college-style” classes as well as enjoying my last year of high school at the same time. 

This fall I will be starting college at Salisbury University, where I will be playing varsity soccer, majoring in Nursing, and minoring in Spanish. I am extremely excited to start my college journey and enter into this new chapter of my life. There are many opportunities for me to explore beyond high school, and I am thrilled to be able to do so. 

The four years of high school have gone by super quickly. It felt like forever in the moment, but before I could even blink it was over. Part of me is glad that high school is over but most of me is excited to move on and see the world beyond Oakland Mills and Columbia, Maryland. There is so much for the world to offer, and I am thrilled to be able to explore that. I am very grateful for having such a great place to grow up in and go to school.

For underclassmen reading this article, here is some advice. Enjoy these four years and soak up all the fun moments that you will have; at the same time, be excited and open to exploring the world beyond high school.