Dear future senior,

Your final year of high school is just around the corner! You may be starting in a few days, a week or -- for the most unfortunate -- it has already begun. Senior year is the year every high schooler looks forward to. For athletes, it’s the final season of the sport they’re post passionate about. For people in music, or theater, it’s the final song or show that puts the end to a great career. High school is a whirlwind. It has its ups and downs, but the final year can truly be the most defining. As someone who stood in your position exactly one year ago, here is my advice.

Turn the negatives into positives. You may have spent the last few years complaining about how hard your sport is, or how much you hate your coach. Stop thinking this way. You play the sport for a reason, and no matter what it is, it is enough to keep you there. Good things can come from any situation so no matter how much you think you won’t, you will miss it. Savor those moments in huddles with your team. Remember the times when you kept working even when you felt like you couldn’t. The lessons you learn will stay with you forever. In the moment it may be tough, but you’ll look back on it once it’s over.

As for academics, don’t let them slip. Senioritis may be alive and well but your grades still matter. You’ve worked this hard for three years, one last year won’t hurt. I know it can be tempting to turn in a paper you wrote in thirty minutes, but that won’t help your GPA or your writing skills for college. Take a deep breath, set aside some time, and finish that paper. At the same time, give yourself a break.

Senior year is stressful with the application deadlines and scholarship searches. High school is almost over, and it’s OK to go get a smoothie with your friends after school instead of going straight home to crack open the books. Just remember to cherish your last year. Whether you loved high school or hated it, it’s a monumental time. This is your last year before everything changes.

The summer after I graduated was possibly my best one yet. Going off to college is one of the most exciting, terrifying and life changing experiences out there. Don't let the idea of leaving make you miss the happiness that is right in front of you. It flies by fast, and once it does, you never get it back. So live it up and make every moment count. Everyone has a different senior year experience, but each one matters. After all, this is the place that will shape who you become.