Start of the Future

Jasmine Redding
ENG 105
Comp 1 (10 a.m)
Start Of The Future
Throughout our entire lives, people have endured a countless number of hardships. No matter if it was an exciting or negative event, there would always be something that had come out of that particular situation. As grade school students, we dream about the day that we will walk across the stage on commencement day and receive our diplomas. Graduation CAN BE an extremely exciting and scary event. For a numerous amount of people, completing high school remained their goal. In order to accomplish this goal, it would obtain a fair amount of studying. Graduation is the end of high school and the beginning of life. When we attend high school, we realize that we will soon be making one of the biggest decisions in our life; if and where we will attend college, what we want to pursue as a career, and any other significant life decisions.
It happened on the 25th of May 2014. I can almost remember that day as if it had happened yesterday; I had gotten up as if it had been another school day. I pushed myself all through high school to achieve my goal! Just the other day my friends and I had started talking about all the memories we shared from freshman year all the way until now. We could not stop chuckling and giggling. No way, did it feel like these were the last times our entire class would ever be together again. I remember sitting in one of my classes during the middle of the day when the announcements came on telling seniors that we could pick up our cap and gown. When I went to pick up my cap and gown, I thought, “The time has come, I’m graduating!” I couldn’t help but smile. Although, at the same time, I was nervous and felt devastated. I knew it was time to say goodbye to my friends who were departing off to college other than the community college in town.
High school was different than grade school or middle school. It was all new to me. I thought it was going to be this giant building and I thought the upperclassmen were going to be impolite people. When I started high school, I was the shy, quiet girl. I was terrified my first day of freshman year. I was worried that I would get lost trying to find my classes or that I wouldn’t get to my classes in 5 minutes. I thought was never going to be able to get my locker open, it had taken me multiple tries. I was worried about not having any friends or knowing anybody in class. I was frightened of the rumors you heard in middle school about what the upperclassmen would act toward the underclassmen. My freshman year, I had decided to join an extracurricular activity. I decided to choose band, which included marching, pep, and concert band. It wasn’t that bad, it was a challenge learning how to play an instrument. Freshman year was a scary experience and a new one at that. It was full of new things, new people, and trying to fit in all at the same time.
Sophomore year was a lot like freshman year, but with a couple minor differences. It was more of a challenge. My classes were getting a bit more challenging. It was easier for me to find my class since I had already knew where most of the classes were. I was still in band sophomore year, but I had also decided to participate in basketball cheerleading. When I was in band, I was asked to play another instrument. I was ready to take on a new challenge and balance out, school, band, and cheerleading all at once. Since I was in band, I got the opportunity to participate in marching with the band at the Citrus Bowl Parade in Florida. It was an excellent experience for me to perform in front of a large amount of people.
Junior year was a bit more of a challenge for me. Classes were getting hard, but I didn’t have as many classes as I had when I first started high school. I was starting to get more homework, but I was still willing to accept that challenge and push myself to achieve my goal. There were a lot more accomplishments my junior year. It was time for me to start focusing on school a lot more than I already have been and start scheduling appointments to take the ACT and COMPASS tests. It was time for me to start looking at possible college opportunities. My classes were getting harder and I knew my way around the school. I continued to play with the band, but I had stopped participating in cheerleading. My junior year, I was able to go to prom with one of my closest friends. Even though it wasn’t going to be my last prom, it was a night full of memories to last a large part of my life. It was an enjoyable night.
I thought senior year was supposed to be enjoyable. It was fun, but it wasn’t what I expected it to be like. Senior year was rather stressful, especially the last couple of months of it. It had gone by quickly. Even though it probably wasn’t one of the smartest ideas considering the fact that it was close to the end of the school year and we were preparing for semester tests, I had participated in senior skip day with my friends. I didn’t really do that much, just laid out with a couple of friends and tanned. I wanted my senior year to be memorable, therefore; I had joined cheerleading again, although instead of just cheering for basketball, I also decided to cheer for football. I was also still involved in band. I got to attend my senior prom with a group of my friends and our dates. Even though senior year was stressful, you could say it was one of the most memorable years in high school.
I remember waking up the day of graduation, all awakened and thrilled, however; it was all so heartbreaking. My high school career had been coming to an end. It taught me what to expect in life and helped me prepare myself for the real world. When it was time for my row to get up and wait in line for our names to be called, I was nervous that I was going to trip and fall in front of thousands of people that had been watching. They had also been filming it on television. Walking across the stage made me feel good inside. I had accomplished my main goal in life. 2014 was the last class from Marshalltown High School to be walking the stage to receive a diploma due to the fact that after we graduated, they started to renovate the gym. It was an overwhelming and exciting experience to be able to be that class. Now that my high school career has ended, I look back and realize that I have somehow managed to become the person I’ve always wanted to be. Through the years my greatest achievements have not been tangible items, but they have been lessons I’ve learned through involvement.
As we move into life after high school, we leave behind valuable friendships and the comfort of our high school, but we also take with us the memories and knowledge we have gained throughout our high school livelihood. We have proven ourselves to be successful, competent young adults. These many choices have shaped who we are today: the people we meet, the experiences we have encountered, and the lessons we learned. They have all made an impact on our lives, and in return, we have also made a difference in the lives of others.