As a junior in high school, being ready for a break from school would be an understatement. Between all my AP classes, homework, finals, projects, concerts, and more, school has been on my mind 24/7 since the beginning of the year. With all this being said, however, I have some mixed feelings about summer coming so quickly. 

This year, I have had my fair share of stressful and sleepless nights studying for test after test, especially for my AP exams. All things considered though, it was one of the most memorable years of high school I have experienced. 

As summer creeps around the corner, I realize that all the seniors I see in the halls will be gone in only a few weeks, and the junior class will take their place. This fact is especially hard for me because of the relationships I have formed with some of my best senior friends who guided me through this challenging year. 

Being that I am in more advanced classes, it’s normal for them to be mostly filled with upperclassmen, especially seniors. My senior friends, whom I have known since I was a freshman and they were sophomores, are moving on, and I’m staying here. It’s hard to let them go because they have been such an important part of my life. 

My senior friends taught me how to be stronger in my weighted classes, and how to study and prepare for my classes, they gave me the inside scoop on the upperclassmen drama and were my personal chauffeurs whenever we went out. I’m not sure when we started becoming so close, but I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know them. 

In addition to having many graduating friendships, I also have a big brother who is going to leave even sooner than the rest. This year especially, I would say that we have never been closer. He is going to be all the way out in New York, going to the Merchant Marine Academy. I’m extremely proud of him, but at the same time, I selfishly want him to stay closer to home. 

I knew that no matter where he went, the minutes were limited with my brother this year. To try to cope with that, I did my best to attend mostly every event that he was a part of. I tried to be there for every hockey game, I was there when he was a referee for the KU vs. Mizzou hockey game, and I’ve been there for every conversation we had in the kitchen late at night. 

I only have one brother, so watching him move on with his life and chase after what he wants has both been a rewarding experience and a harsh realization. My family of four at home will shrink to a family of three in a few short months, and I’m not sure I’m ready to have my brother so far away. Not only will he be far, but it will be very difficult to reach him at all because of where he is going to school with the military aspects of everyday life. 

The most important lesson I have learned all year, however, is that time goes much too quickly in high school. Everyone warned me about this, and I never really believed them because of how busy I am. It is because I am always busy, however, that the time is going faster than usual. 

Next school year, I’ll be a senior. I’ll be applying to colleges, applying for scholarships, deciding my major, and entering the last year of my high school career. Yes, I am ready for this year to end, but I’m not ready for what comes next. 

When I was a kid, I always thought life would always be fun and amazing and that everything would work out no matter what. This belief has slowly dwindled. Even though my life has been crazy and fun and amazing, it has not been without the hardships that brought me here. Without the lessons, without the crazy turns along the way, I don’t think I would have ever thought this much about where the next year would take me. 

Summer is supposed to be a time when you go to the pool with your friends every day, eat ice cream on hot nights, and maybe even go mini-golfing once in a while. My summer, which starts in the blink of an eye, is going to be my version of R & R… rest and reflection. Of course, I’ll spend time with friends and enjoy the warm sun, but I’ll also have a lot of things to consider for next year. It’s a good thing that I had my brother and my friends because I’m not worried at all.