Today, I took my senior portraits. I saw myself in a cap and gown for the first time, and that is when it hit me, that I really am graduating in a few short months. I stared at the young woman I saw in the mirror with the gown and rose, barely recognizing myself. Immediately, I got emotional over this sudden realization. Too soon I am going to be moving on. All too soon, I became a senior.

The first day of freshman year seems like last week. That day, I sat nervously in history class, and my teacher told the class to cherish every moment, because we'll blink and it will all be over. Sitting there that day, I thought nothing of it, rolling my eyes, amused because it seemed so far away. Now I sit here and have no idea where the time has gone.

Now, I'm scrambling to find answers for a future that holds the unknown. I'm expected to know exactly who I am, exactly what I want to be, and exactly where I will end up in life, all at the age of 17. The truth is, I have absolutely no clue what the future holds for me, and I find that terrifying, yet at the same time, thrilling. A new chapter in my life is just beginning.

So I will cherish every all-nighter I've pulled to finish that English essay I knew about for two weeks, I'll resist rolling my eyes for the math pop quizzes, I'll enjoy every Monday morning with torrential downpours, and I'll count every moment, whether joyful or terrible, as something worth experiencing. Because, at graduation, I'll miss every moment.

All too soon I became a senior, yet at the same time, I believe I'm ready. I don't know exactly how to apply for student loans or pay taxes, but I refuse to be scared. This is the beginning of something wonderful, yet it seems like an end. I refuse to allow my senior year to be ruined because I am so worried about what the future holds.

Whether you have major senioritis or you're heartbroken that this is your senior year, reflect upon your high school experience. What has it taught you? How far have you come?

All too soon I became a senior, and I wish I could go back to my freshman-self and offer some advice for the future heartbreaks and failed tests. I would tell myself it was all worth it.

Senior year begins in two weeks, and I couldn't be more scared and excited. This year is not an ending, but only the start of a new beginning. The future is upon us, and we do not have to have all the answers, we just have to have faith that it will all work out. I do not need to know where I'll be in 10 years, because, right now, I'm me. I'm a senior, and I like the person I have become because of high school. This is happening all too soon, but I will have faith that I am ready, and I plan to cherish every moment this next year brings.