So, I've been living for a long time with the mentality that I just have to "get through one more year!" This truth finally reigns true at this point in time, but I have decided to retire the overused phrase. At the beginning of this school year, looking out at the wide, sprawled out horizon of AP classes and extensive extracurricular activities, I remember telling myself that I just had to make this one year count, then I could relax and finally take a breath of relief. Well, I have decided, in the midst of AP tests and thinning out motivation, that I am going to take Senior Year just a little bit easier. Here is why.

I'm still taking hard classes- but here's the difference. I'm taking hard classes in areas that I am passionate about. So, while I may have to ditch AP Statistics or Computer Engineering, I'm going to opt to take AP English, which is my very favorite subject. I'm also going to immerse myself in learning a new trade- the art of teaching. I'm taking a class on teaching, yup, for real! I'm also going to take AP World History and Honors Spanish. These are my favorite subjects, and I'm extremely passionate about them. When it comes to math, I'm not gifted- I work hard, but I simply lack that passion that engineers and algebraic masters seem to have. This is why I am allowing myself, this senior year, to fulfill a math credit in a class that should be a pretty easy A to achieve. And I don't want to make myself feel guilty for that.

I really want my Senior Year to be as fantastic as the graduates make it seem. I don't want Senioritis. I hear way too many complaints of Senioritis from my beloved senior friends, and I simply do not want to be harboring ill feelings of exhaust and anxiety as I enjoy what should be one of the most monumental and exciting years of my life. I want to enjoy my final year of high school without complaints and breakdowns every single night. I wish I was that girl who had a passion for physics, or biology, but instead I love words and configuring them to explain how my heart feels at a moment in time. This is where my passion lays. I love being involved, and I really want to focus on that aspect of high school, as well as spending as much time with my family, friends, and loved ones before I embark on my brand new adventure of college.

I plan to take risks, be bold, and live my best life, even on school nights. I basically have 180 days ahead of me to make the most of. Only 180 days to suck the marrow out of high school! With that, I can't wait for all of the memories I'm bound to make- from attending countless football games to pulling up to every school dance, to participating in every experience I possibly can. I know that I have one year left- I probably won't see a lot of my high school friends again, let alone my teachers, coaches, and peers. So, while I am in high school, I want to enjoy it, make as many friends as possible, and get to know absolutely everybody so I can leave the halls with no regrets.

I'm not going to slack- that's not the type of girl I am. I never will be, regardless of what I am, a sophomore in high school to a senior in college. What I am going to do is focus on where my passion lies. I'm going to increase my GPA through classes that motivate me simply because I enjoy them so much. I'm going to dedicate time to making memories with people I love. I'm going to put more effort into sucking the marrow out of life in my small town before I'm walking down the football field with the 200 or so kids I have spent the last twelve years with.

So- to all my friends who are also rising to Seniority- please take my advice and make sure you fall in love with life in your last year in this small town. Senior year is supposed to be one of the most magical of your life- let's let it live up to the vision. The (Class of) 2020 vision.