Goodbye column - Maricela Nunez

8 l Senior Edition l The Pepper Box

Saying one final goodbye

I’m kind of happy that I will no longer have to wake up at 6 am and rush to get to my first hour, where I would spend most of the time actually waking up. Now I will be able to get the choice of making my own decisions, and hopefully wise ones. The only way to grow is to experience new things. High school was fun for me, but for others, we could describe it as a pure torture. Now, everyone will go their own way and discover life on their own. Some will choose to attend college, others will serve our country, and some will go straight into the

workforce. However, no matter where you end up, it will surely be a change. While we might not all realize it, the first 18 years of our lives are just the beginning. What comes after graduation is the start of our lives as real adults. It might not hit us right away, since we might still be relying on our parents to guide us and pay for us until we are ready to be independent, but it is definitely on the horizon. There are still little things we can enjoy as we finish off this school year. Prom, of course, was the big one, and it was a night we will all remember. We also have senior sunset, the picnic, the senior awards, our graduation, and many more planned events. As the events grow closer I hope we could enjoy them more than any event before this. I plan on appreciating the time that I’ve not only spent with the class of 2022, but also with every underclassman and upperclassman. Talking with people outside my class always surprises me. No

matter if they are older or younger, they have a different mindset than I’m used to. It’s kind of refreshing Maricela in a sense, knowing that we have different thoughts on how we Nunez perceive high school. Though I may not have enjoyed every second of my time here, I do appreciate it. It was a learning experience that I know I won’t take for granted in the future. I would like to say my final goodbyes to the people and places that have been a part of shaping me into the person I am today. Goodbye teachers, who taught me more than their curriculum. Goodbye friends, who made me laugh with no effort. Goodbye library, where I played more Uno than I did work. Goodbye Calming Corner, even though I only went there once it was a nice experience. Goodbye long zoom meetings, you could have done better. Goodbye sisters, I enjoyed my time with you and I hope you enjoy the rest of your high school years. Goodbye high school, I had an unexpetedly fun four years here.

Photo courtesy Inter State Maricela Nunez at prom with her friends Selena Brown and Breanna Johnson. Photo courtesy Maricela Nunez Senior Maricela Nunez mentions that she will miss her family after she graduates from Ritenour in the next few weeks.