In the fall of 2009, I was a freshman in high school, participating in my first season of marching band. More often than not, I came home and cried after practice, saying I was never doing marching band again. Sophomore year, I decided to give it one more shot. By junior year, most of my friends were in marching band and I knew that if I ever wanted to see them, I would have to march too. Then came my senior year of high school, and I decided that I'd made it three years, so I might as well finish it off. During high school marching band, I made a lot of friends and countless memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. When I started college, I decided to march just one more year, because I couldn't stand the thought of giving up band yet. Now, here I am just days away from my last ever marching band performance as a senior in college. The years have flown by, and it's bittersweet knowing that I have one more performance before the activity that has consumed my life for the past eight years is over.

Over the years, I have had several band directors, section leaders, and friends that have impacted me and taught me countless life lessons that I will carry with me forever. Here are some of those lessons and memories:

1. I have learned "to be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, to be late is to be dead." Marching band rehearsals always start on time, and you better be warmed up and ready to go at that time. Over the past eight years, I have learned the importance to being early to everything that I do, and being ready to go "on time."

2. "You're sitting at a stoplight at two in the morning. There's no one around, and the light is taking forever to change. No one would know if you ran the light, but character is who you are when no one is watching." To this day, I sit at stoplights, regardless of the time, the lack of traffic, or how long the light takes to change. If I would be willing to cheat my character in something as simple as a stoplight, I would probably be willing to cheat my character in other areas of my life. Band has taught me the importance of knowing the right thing to do, and doing it, even if no one is watching. Great leaders do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, whether they want to do it or not, without having to be asked, and that all starts with who you are when no one is watching.

3. "You've Got a Friend" by James Taylor. My high school band director sang this song to us every year, before heading to the buses on our last performance of the season. Hearing him sing that song never failed to make me cry. Marching band creates such strong, genuine friendships. We see each other at our best and worst, and spend many early mornings and late nights together. We are a group of people working towards one goal, and it's never about "me," but always about "us." Because of this mindset, the friendships formed through marching band always end up being more like a family. We look out for each other, encourage each other, and ultimately drive each other crazy.

Marching band has helped me find myself, and be myself without restraint. It has helped me discover my passion for music. It has taught me the value of perseverance, when all I want to do is give up. I met my future husband, future maid of honor, and countless other lifetime friends through marching band. It's hard for me to believe that this experience is almost over, but I will cherish the friendships, memories, and lessons learned for many years to come.