The End of IB

The school year is almost finally over, and all seniors are jumping with joy.  We are all ready to move on from high school and begin our lives in college.  High School - It was a journey!  Freshmen year feels like forever ago, but senior year feels like it started yesterday.  The last year has come and gone so fast that it seems unreal to me.  Freshmen year was a breeze, but it has just gotten harder and harder leading up to now.  Through a bunch of hard work and dedication, I have finally made it to graduation.

I remember being a junior marshall last year, and watching the seniors walk down to receive their diplomas.  I couldn't wait to become one of them myself.  Now I am, and it makes me so happy.  The IB program has been super difficult, so knowing that it is almost over delights me but also saddens

me.  I was nervous when the program started junior year, because I knew a lot of work, papers, and late nights were about to arrive.  Even though people told me how much work there was, it's hard to believe until it actually happens and hits you flat in the face.  Despite that, I think the program has really paid off for me.  I think it was worth it because it was an amazing opportunity that not everyone takes.  I was able to learn a lot of things I probably wouldn't have learned about otherwise.  Especially with film and TOK, because I wouldn't have been able to take those classes anywhere else.  I was able to have teachers that were all understanding and wonderful.  I was able to become a part of something bigger.  I think one of my favorite things about being a part of IB was being in classes where everyone wanted to learn and succeed as well.  It felt so different going to my two non-IB classes, because there is a completely different vibe within them, so I have learned to appreciate that. I think the program has also taught me to grab at any other opportunities that come my way.  I've learned that it's great to take chances, even if I am unsure about them at first.  They may not feel like it at the time, but they will be worth it in the future when I can look back and say, "Look what I have accomplished."

At the beginning of senior year, I was also nervous about college.  Everyone kept asking me where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do.  I felt pressured to know right then and there, even though I still
had plenty of time to decide.  As the year went on though, the nervousness began to drift away and excitement took its place.  After multiple essays along with college visits and tours, I finally made my decision of which one I wanted to attend in the fall.   Once that decision was made, I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders.  I was just so excited to start anew in a completely different place, and meet  bunch of new people.  It's an opportunity to introduce myself differently.  I am still nervous about picking a major, because I honestly have no idea what I want do, but I am not as nervous as I was before.  When it's the right time, I'll know what I want and what I'm interested in.  The only thing now I'm worried about is being away from my family.  I will miss my parents, my brother that is heading to a different college than myself, and my two sisters who are my two best friends.  I know it will be weird being away from them for so long, but it will also be very fun living in a completely different area with new friends.  Hopefully, I can get involved in a lot of things that I am interested in at college, and that it will feel like my new home.  

Looking back, high school has been a journey where I have learned who my true friends are, and I have learned more about my true self.  Looking forward, I hope to find my interests, and pursue them so I can have a career that I love and enjoy.