Second-Semester Seniors:

Okay, let’s be real. There's a difference between a "senior," and a "second-semester senior." It's easier to "let go" of responsibilities and look to the end. However, though that's the easiest and most tempting thing to do... you can't.

I know how often you’ve been told not to give up, and to make sure that you always push forward through difficult situations. I know that it seems very excessive and overstated, and it’s to the point where you brush off this piece of advice due to the fact that you’ve heard it so many times over the years. However, the truth behind why this is so often said is important to not be forgotten. I am quite religious, so a lot of my advice and take-ways relate back to my Christianity. I am not sure if you are (whoever is reading this), but I am going to talk a little bit about that for some insight. God has a purpose for all of us. He has a predestined idea for how our lives are going to turn out. Yes, sometimes it’s in His plan to move on from certain situations because He sees that we are not advancing positively in them. But, when it comes to senior year, so many things that I have learned how to get through in my religion are things that I have found truth in, in my high-school community. A community of like-minded thinkers committed to excellence. A community of inquirers who take risks and think critically to achieve success. A community of knowledgeable, caring, open-minded people who enjoy being together and enjoy achieving success together.

It's effortless to give up. It's effortless to think about the school you've already gotten into, begin searching for a roommate, and planning your future. But live in the NOW. Don't wish this time away, and do not take for granted the system of learning you're in.

I’m not going to lie to you: there are going to be plenty of nights where you’ll look at the clock, see 3:30 a.m., realize you’ve lost all sanity for the evening, contemplate going to bed, then realize you have three more assignments to complete before 8:30 a.m., and you take the final plunge. In the midst of this, however, you have such an amazing support system. You may not have realized it quite yet, but you are some of the luckiest students in the high school right now. This is for many reasons, but one of the most important is the fact that while you’re close to the finish line, you have so many memories left to make. I am so incredibly jealous that you still have these things to discover for yourself over the course of the next couple of months. Never take it for granted.

Do random things with your friends, because why not? Get involved for a last "hoorah." TAKE PICTURES. Look forward to graduation day because it's a fun, joyful day... not because it's the end. Say hi to random people, because why not? Live life like you're 95, looking back at being young. Do the impossible, because right now, it's possible.

You’ll look back on it when you’re an “end-of-the-year” senior and wish you had appreciated it more throughout your time in high school. As I said, I am truly jealous of you. In the words of Marina Keegan in The Opposite of Loneliness, “We're so young. We can't, we MUST not lose this sense of possibility because in the end, it's all we have.”

Keep going. Never give up. Love life. Be grateful. You’ve got this.

With much love,

Kimberly Sloan Minor