When you graduate high school, as I’m about to do in a month, I can promise that the thoughts consuming your time, making you cry, and getting you through those last few classes do not concern the A- you got in Spanish 1, the time you failed a test in AP World History, or the third year in a row that your volleyball team lost to Evergreen High School on their senior night. No, you’ll be thinking about the people you chose to surround yourself with: the friends who’ll be hundreds of miles away starting next fall and the teachers who will still be at Westmont, inspiring students just like you.
I hope you’ll read this while listening to “We’re Going to Be Friends,” by the White Stripes.
~Keep track of the music that means something to you; it’ll mean even more when the moment passes.
Looking back on my years at Westmont, I’m proud to say I have few regrets. I got involved in school spirit, put in full effort on all my classes, and did everything I could to give back to our community. However, it wasn’t until this year that I got my nose out of my textbooks and looked around enough to realize how many incredible, unique, and wonderful people there are at Westmont. In the fall of my senior year, I made so many new friends, you’d think I was in kindergarten. Everywhere I turned there stood another senior I’d known for three years, had seen in classes, passed in hallways, and yet never bothered to talk to. And in every one of these seniors, I suddenly found someone absolutely special. I discovered a comedian where I had assumed a scholar, a scholar where I had assumed a jock, a jock where I had assumed a artist, and artists in almost everyone I met. It seems a waste, the three years I spent without the company of these amazing people. On the other hand, I am eternally grateful for the friendships that have spanned throughout my entire education. Going into next year, I feel lucky to know I have a lifeline back home, not only in Campbell, but also LA, Davis, Pittsburgh, New York, and San Jose. Expressing my gratitude for every person at Westmont I have the joy of calling a friend—not just seniors but juniors, sophomores, and even freshmen—is an impossible task. But I want to try. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for everything you’ve done for me. Thank you to everyone who has stayed up late to study, stuck out five seasons of a terrible show, asked me for rides, stuck up for me when I couldn’t, tolerated Batman everywhere, texted from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., taught me to take deep breaths, comforted me when I cried, and done so much more. I would run out of Google Doc space if I tried to type it out. I love every single one of you.
~Never allow yourself to become complacent in friendship; always seek out new friends and work to maintain what already exists.
Another critical component of making the most of your time at Westmont High School is getting to know every teacher you can. If you made a highlight reel of my time at Westmont, undoubtedly it would include me eating lunch with Mr. Mock, discussing agendas with Mr. Evans, signing up donors with Mr. Haskett, spending my Saturday taking practice AP tests with Mrs. Leo, talking Othello with Mr. Hadley, chatting about F1 with Mr. Graydon, learning derivatives with Mr. Riffle, and memorizing my rights with Mr. Buran. I can say with absolute confidence that every single one of these educators made a significant difference in my life, whether by presenting me with opportunities I could never have created myself or simply ensuring I knew that I matter at Westmont. If I lacked the ability to connect with my teachers, my time in high school would have been a pathetic, desaturated imitation of the true experience. Becoming close with my teachers brought my education into full color.
~Teachers care and want to help; put effort into making a genuine connection with those whose values you share, opinions you respect, and attitudes you appreciate.
I know you’ve heard it before, but high school is what you make of it. I made high school an arduous academic journey, replete with obstacles in the form of AP tests, all-nighters, and burnout. And while I don’t regret it, I wish someone had told me what you should know by now.
~Look up every once in awhile, and you’ll see an entire crowd of people who want to help, who appreciate your story, who share your passion, who can guide you in the right direction, and who would love to keep you company on the long road ahead.