Back When I was in High School...
What is one thing you’d tell your senior self?
Don’t stress about having your entire life finalized by June. You have your whole life to figure it out.
What is your biggest regret senior year?
Not trying out for football.
What was your favorite part of high school?
Looking back now, mostly free room and board. However, I also really enjoyed going on crazy adventures with my friends and getting involved in extracurricular activities like YoungLife.
Is there any advice you would give seniors?
Do your absolute best, develop good habits, and take advantage of all the different opportunities available to you. You only go through high school once, so enjoy it and don’t leave with any regrets.
What is one thing you’d tell your senior self? The one thing I’d tell my senior self is this: learn how to do all the ‘adult’ things—like paying a car bill or managing money—without actually becoming a boring adult. Seriously, nobody tells you that adulthood is basically just Googling ‘how do I…?’ at 2 a.m. Also, don’t stress if your path doesn’t look like everyone else’s. College is great for some, but it’s not the only route. What matters is finding a way to contribute to the world—and if you can do that while still enjoying Taco Bell at midnight, you’re winning.
What is your biggest regret senior year?
My senior year, I made sure to have no regrets. I’d watched my older siblings skip dances or quit their teams because they didn’t like the coach—and they still complain about it 15 years later (seriously, let it go, guys). So I took their advice and did everything fun: the dances, the games, the random senior events. My logic was simple: future me can regret bad 2000s hairstyles, but not missed memories.
What was your favorite part of high school?
The assemblies, sporting events, and the fact that we had an open campus (aka the golden ticket to freedom). I’ll never forget one assembly where it was students vs. teachers and the teachers showed up dressed as a biker gang—tattoo sleeves, leather vests, chaps—the whole deal. Then they literally rode Harleys into the gym. You can’t make that up. And after every home basketball game, we had dances—not because anyone actually wanted to dance, but because it was the place to hang out and be part of the school vibe. Honestly, the freedom we had made it feel like the ultimate high school experience.
Is there any advice you would give seniors?
Focus on you! Don’t waste your time getting sucked into other people’s drama—because spoiler alert: after graduation, 95% of that drama disappears, and half the people you stressed about, you’ll literally never see again. Instead, put that energy into yourself. Join clubs, play sports, go to events, show up for the fun stuff. Basically, collect all the memories you can now—because nobody brags later about how good they were at avoiding the pep rally
