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Editor’s Note: OSPI aims to elevate the authentic experiences of the students in Washington’s K–12 public schools. This story was written by a Washington state high school student participating in OSPI’s Student Stories Program. The author’s opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints do not necessarily reflect those of OSPI, and publication of this story does not constitute OSPI’s approval or endorsement of its contents. With questions, please contact OSPI’s Communications team at commteam@k12.wa.us.
Now that exams are done, caps and gowns have been divided amongst the Class of 2024 and hung up in our closets, and the final bell of my high school career has rung, I am faced with the reality of growing up. The transition from childhood to adulthood is no small feat, though I have been preparing for it these past 4 years. Since I have graduated, I have felt a new sense of optimism; prepared in hope to trek the new world ahead of me, yet hanging on to the last strings of adolescence from a place of nostalgia and familiarity. From a high school senior to an incoming college freshman, my world is just about to evolve into one of fundamental freedom and exploration.
Growing up and graduating hold similar characteristics and create shared feelings of fear, excitement, a belief that everything will go as expected, nostalgia, and a wave of bittersweetness as one chapter of my life ends and a new one is beginning. The relief of finishing difficult classes and exams arises though I momentarily forget I will be studying pure physics for the next 4 years starting sooner rather than later, where I am Sisyphus and Newtonian laws are the boulder, in an enjoyable way. While walking with a lighter backpack through the halls in late May and early June, I felt connected to strangers I examined around the school, knowing that we are all experiencing coming of age in the same window of time, holding similar emotions with close strangers.
However, graduating high school is, in some ways, a landmark of your life truly having its start. In my case, I believe I will feel greater fulfillment and excitement for the world around me when I am off on my own, studying something that I am passionate about. This is a time in my life when it is important to make connections and foster communities around me that I feel seen and comfortable in. It is a time to expand my horizons in my youth and to experience all that I can in a civil, responsible manner, though also taking risks. While it is exceptionally nerve-racking understanding that I will be moving states alone and navigating the real world on my own in only a couple short weeks, that fear is ultimately quieted by the opportunities, experiences, relationships, and knowledge that I will soon gain.
During this transitional time, it is important to have a steady support system. This helped me navigate simple things like filling out paperwork or having someone to reminisce with, to more difficult things like weighing in on financial assistance. While growing up and moving on is frightening, it is a necessary part of life that I, for one, never thought would really arrive. Now that I am faced with the reality of it, I am excited to see how I will grow as a person out in the world.
About the Author
Trillium Keith (she/her) is in her senior year of high school in the Mukilteo School District. She is an aspiring aeronautical physicist and plans to move to Scotland for university! In her free time, you can find Trillium reading, building robots, and going to see local bands.
