I have always considered myself to be a deep person. I overthink tasks and ideas that most people would not think twice about, I have a strong desire to make a difference, and I put my heart into all that I do.

Senior quotes have a tendency to be the worn out words of a president, a shout out to friends, or some inside joke no one else understands. I decided not to take that route and began the search for the quote that the members of my graduating class will read when they open their yearbooks thirty years from now.

After flipping through my favorite novels and reading the sentences I underlined, I came across the most fitting quote. The words were from Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, one of my favorite books.

“I’m going to do what I want to do. I’m going to be who I really am. And I’m going to figure out what that is.”

As a senior in high school, I felt unsure about how my college experience would be. I was frightened and dreaded even the thought of college. Chbosky’s quote summed up my feelings of the future. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I wanted to do what would make me happy and was determined to find out what that would be.

Fast forward a year and Chbosky’s words still remain true. I am on the path of becoming myself. I am not entirely sure what that means, but each day I discover more features of myself and come closer and closer to uncovering who I truly am. As a reminder, I have a painted canvas on the wall of my dorm room preaching the words I chose to represent my high school self.