By Sally Abdul Khalek
They say high school goes by so fast you won’t even realize until it’s time to say goodbye. I didn’t know what to expect freshman year and I still remember how nervous I was on the first day of school. Now being a senior and looking back at my high school experience, I don’t regret anything because all those moments in my life helped me grow into the person I am today.
The best decision I made as a freshman was taking journalism. It turned my life around and I never thought that by my senior year I’d be Co-Editor-In-Chief but here we are. I’ve met many amazing people and made so many memories that I will always remember forever.
As a new staffer in my sophomore year, I experienced a lot of memorable times. There was never one dull moment in class whether it was spontaneous games of office supply hot potato? to people falling off their chairs or sharing a funny story that had happened that day. I am very proud of the stories I wrote that year and my writing definitely improved. Our celebrations of meeting issue deadlines were always fun because everyone would be together and it brought us all closer. During spring break, we had the New York trip. I was the youngest on the trip and it was the first time traveling without my parents even though they ended up going for half the time we went. The minute we got to New York, we got lost. We got on the wrong train that we thought was a subway and none of us had the right tickets. We got to the hotel super late and had cold pizza. New York was beautiful and so was Columbia University. From running late to class to exploring Times square in the evening, eating amazing food, seeing a broadway play, and late-night hotel shenanigans, I wouldn’t have asked for a better trip. It made me open up more thanks to everyone for making me comfortable. From the trip, I gained a little bit more confidence and was not as shy anymore.
In my junior year, I was a feature editor. That year had its ups and downs, but overall it showed me the responsibilities of being an editor for the paper and how it made me realize I wanted to be Editor-in-Chief my senior year. Work nights were definitely the highlight of the junior year because of all the food we’d eat and how much we would laugh. Movie nights were also fun. I remember everyone would make side comments to where we would all laugh and we even put Just Dance on the computer until it was time for everyone to leave. Our Austin Trip in early May was nice. The hotel was beautiful and had an amazing view. Our late-night conversations on the rooftop and our target run was something like a movie. Visiting UT Austin made me realize how huge the campus is but nonetheless the classes that we went to gave us a lot of great advice that we could use in the future. Senior year, I was a Co-Editor-In-Chief. I was excited because we had new people coming in so I wanted to make their experience as memorable as mine so they would rejoin again. It was sad that it got cut short but our weekly meetings made up for it. There’s not much that I could say about this year but that it was different than the previous because of us having to teach all the new staffers what they needed to know but it was a good experience as a Co-Editor-In-Chief.
There are a lot of people I have to thank as they were the ones that helped me get through high school. I’m not a very expressive person but I wanted these people to know how much they really mean to me. To all my teachers, thank you for everything and I really did enjoy being in your class. To all the seniors who have graduated and became my friends, thank you as you were the ones who helped me out of my shell and made me comfortable enough to not be shy to speak. To the staff, this year, thank you for helping us out and turning your stuff in. We would not have been able to do it without you. To all the friends I have made through this program, thank you for all of the beautiful memories. To Faith who has been the best co-editor and friend, anyone could ask for. I loved being a co-editor with you this year and despite how a lot of things did not go as planned, thank you for all the conversations we have shared and the many memories we have made these past four years, To my best friends Salma and Zoe, thank you for being by my side through all these years. I definitely could not have gone through high school with both of you by my side. I cherish the memories we have made together and I hope we will continue to make more. Last but not least, I would like to thank Mrs. Scott for all her hard work and for being there when we needed her. You have always been my favorite teacher and I thank you for giving us a safe space that we could call our second home. It means so much for what you have done for me and for others so thank you for everything.
I knew leaving would be bittersweet. I’m sad I could not experience my senior year to the fullest with prom and graduation being canceled because of COVID-19. With all of the things, I had been through, crossing that stage meant I would be starting a new chapter in my life and I would be able to see my family’s proud faces. We can’t do anything more than to accept the reality that we have. I’ll be attending UTSA in the fall. Although change is good, it is also scary but I can’t wait to see what the future holds. My advice to everyone is to enjoy high school while you can and never miss out on any opportunities that could change your life or become your greatest memories. I wish everyone the best of luck. Goodbye OC. It’s been fun and I am really going to miss it. My high school journey will always be a part of me and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.