If someone had told me four years ago how my senior year would end, this is the last thing I would have expected them to say. If they would have told me that March 12 was my last day of high school, I really don’t know how I would have reacted. To be honest, I don’t really know how I’m reacting right now. I remember thinking at the beginning of senior year how I would have a last poetry competition, a last tennis practice, a last day in journalism, and a last time walking into North Platte High School as a student. It’s weird to think I had all of those already, and I didn’t even realize it. 

However, I don’t want the last four weeks to affect how I’ve looked at the past four years. 

North Platte High School has taught me a lot since my freshman year, and it extended far past just assignments and tests. Here is what I considered my top 10 most valuable lessons learned:

1. It takes time to be good at things. Commit to a few things you care about and dedicate your time to them rather than trying to do everything. 
2. Learn as much as you can from the people around you. Keep in mind that they have as much to learn from you as you do from them. 
3. If you really want to commit to improving your ACT score, PrepScholar is a phenomenal resource. Their program is incredibly pricey ($400ish), but if you don’t get 4+ points higher than your original score, they give you all of your money back. Which realistically, if you ended up with four more points, you would make that money back in scholarships.
4. Sometimes the people who have the worst reputations are the best people. Don’t let what other people say have an effect on what you think.
5. High school is an opportunity to try and master as many new things as you can for free. Take the time to explore them and gain tangible skills.
6. Don’t normalize people’s microaggression for anything less than what it is. 
7. Ask your local dermatologist about Accutane if you struggle with acne. I can endorse.
8. There’s no point in having opinions that everyone agrees with. Don’t be afraid of making people think differently, even if they end up not agreeing with you. 
9. Don’t accept an answer because somebody told you it was right. Find out for yourself. 
10. Don’t take the people you surround yourself with lightly. If you’re around friendly or intelligent people, they rub off on you. If you’re around negative people, that rubs off on you too. 

Thank you North Platte High School for giving me the opportunity to share your stories. I will be attending Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in the fall. Thank you to everyone who helped get me there.

Finally, thank you to every newspaper staff that I have had the opportunity to be a part of in the last four years. I have learned something unique from every single person I have met in the journalism program since I joined. I have created some of my most valuable friendships in room 1403, and I am genuinely a better person for knowing all of you.