With summer vacation nearing its end, I begin to think about how time seems to be going by faster than ever. This fall I will be entering my third year of college and it just seems unreal to me that I graduated high school in 2014, and in 2017 you will be graduating. There are a couple things that I think would be helpful to you in your senior year. Just make sure you don’t wish your time away because once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Senior year goes by faster than you can even imagine, but you’ll know what I mean when your name is being called to walk across the stage. I know sometimes the whole “school spirit” thing can sound lame but it really isn’t. Make sure you participate in the senior week, all of the pep rallies, sporting events, senior picnic, prom and the senior trip.

For me, sports was a huge thing in high school and honestly that is what I miss the most from school. Your senior year is the best for sports because you look back on all the years that you've been playing and you get to see how far you've come. You and I have been playing sports since we could walk and gearing up for your last game will definitely be bittersweet. Play for you but also play for mom and dad because they love to watch you play. You have to know it’s not just a milestone that is ending for you but for them as well.

Make sure you are studying and putting your all into your academics. I know right now you think that the regent's scores, SAT scores, and final exam scores won’t really matter but a part of me wishes I had studied more and put more of my time into them just for my own piece of mind. You might not have to worry as much because school comes easy to you, but all I ask is that you give your all.

Making friends and memories is another huge part of senior year. Expand your friend circle, hang out with people you normally wouldn’t. Do adventurous things, laugh a lot, take lots of pictures do things and try new things that you never thought you would. You have plenty of time to be an adult so don’t push it yet. Take things day by day, there's no rush. One day you’ll wake up with a family, a job and bills to pay and you’ll say “I wish I hadn't wished it away.” Right now focus on being young and having your sports, friends and less responsibility of course.

Senior year is coming and there’s a lot to look forward to. Your senior pictures, ordering your cap and gown, getting your yearbook signed by all your friends and favorite teachers and the big night where you walk across the stage and all the years of school flash before you. That is your moment and your time, enjoy it. Walk across the stage big and proud and get your diploma, just don’t trip and fall. I’ll be there in the crowd, crying I'm sure.

Good luck with your senior year, I am so proud of you and I’m always here to give you the advice you need because, well, I’ve been through it.