Changing circumstances lead to changing course

Declan Colleran

News Editor

In a few days, I will be the last one in my family to put on the red cap and gown and traipse across the stage in Rosemont.

For the last 12 years, my parents have had to endure the morning routine of trying to get us kids to Maine South.

From trying to rouse my brother Kieran out of bed in time for the 7:45 bell, to racing across town to get Siobhan to her Healthcare Careers class at Maine East, the journey hasn’t been easy, nor has it ever been consistent.

From three different houses, we have learned the fastest and most efficient routes to get to school.

Those quick and efficient routes were especially important for Aisling and me, who tried to set our alarms for 8 a.m. and still get to school on time. We were largely unsuccessful.

Since 1st grade, I’ve been watching my siblings do the whole high school thing. Each day after school, I remember sitting in the backseat waiting for my sister to come walking out of the fieldhouse doors.

While I sat there waiting, I used to watch all of the students passing by. At the time, high school felt so distant, like I would never get there.

But here I am, with only a few days left in my senior year, trying to find a way to sum it all up.

The first day of my freshman year, I remember being herded from classroom to classroom, playing countless icebreaker games with my classmates.

But all I cared about was soccer tryouts that afternoon. I had been training all summer in preparation, and I was ecstatic when I made the team.

The season was a blast, and the friends that I made on the soccer team defined my friend group throughout my freshman year. And then … COVID-19 happened. Looking back on it, those early stages of the pandemic were so strange.

I remember sitting in my engineering class and hearing rumors of

As that “spring break” turned from weeks to months, it became clear that COVID-19 was there to stay.

When the fall rolled around, the soccer team wasn’t allowed to compete, so I decided to try out for the golf team, but just for that year.

I was going to return to the soccer team in my junior year, but things changed. I made some great friends on the golf team, and I decided to continue playing golf during my junior and senior years.

READY

For Class

With my backpack and Cars t-shirt on, five-year-old me was eager to get to school. I couldn’t wait to meet my friends at the kindergarten doors.

school being canceled until the end of March.

When an email from administration confirmed our suspicions, the class erupted into celebration.

At the time, we thought we were just going to get a long spring break.

Aside from sports, so many things in my life have changed since my first day at Maine South. New job. New friendships. Joining Southwords . Another new job. Even a new house. You could say that things didn’t go exactly the way my freshman self envisioned them. And that’s fine.

Circumstances change, times change, and even your interests will change.

The important thing is to be confident in your decisions, and as my mom likes to say, “just go with the flow.”