AMERICORPS Staffer reflects on transition to adulthood
O
nce upon a time, I was a girl who would blink and in that millisecond when my eyes were closed I would see a blue-waved pool. I would wake up with the fast-fading memory of a dream filled with random nonsense that somehow connected to my life. I used to organize my room in the craziest way that only I understood, but it was mine. I used to have trouble reading a book in public because I felt vulnerable, like people were watching me as I was going into another world through the book that I was reading. I don’t know what changed or how it happened, but now I feel like I’m walking around numb and not necessarily angry, but more human. I used to be surreal and now I’ve fallen from my own little planet and am dwelling in the real world where there are politics and economics. I was once looking down, or maybe up, to the real world, but I wasn’t one of them, I was just with them. And now I find myself becoming a grown-up with this downward mentality. And the worst part is that I wake up tired. I wake up and continue pressing snooze, physically and mentally. Sometimes I dream, but sometimes the detail I remember is the beeping of the computer at work
telling me I have new orders to fill or the detail that I remember is the assignment I had been working on the day before. The dreams that used to be fantastic figments of my imagine are just psychological now. But it’s not all bad, it’s just different. It’s real and present. The days of immaturity and playfulness are done with, and now I must reach a point of realization and acceptance to these realizations. I wish I could go back to the day when anything truly was possible. I wish I woke up ready to start my day with a smile on my face and joy in my heart. I wish that I had all of the time in the world to explore every blade of grass and read every book. I wish that I could savor things like I once did, but I can’t. Time really has flown by, and I feel different even though there will always be the girl who I was deep inside of me. I am encouraged to leave my past self to my memories and embrace “adulthood.” I leave that girl behind: I am golden. I am not infinite, But I am Now. And I am golden.
ELON
W
alking up the senior steps for the first time this year reminded me of where I have been. It reminded me of the road that has taken me through different countries, cities and schools — namely, West Henderson. Being a new kid is hard sometimes. It can be challenging to throw yourself right into a school that is already running at full speed. It is especially hard to do this in high school, but I think moving here sophomore year was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve made an incredible amount of memories at this school. I recently became an American citizen, I stormed the court after a buzzer beater, I danced across the stage as Victor Frankenstein, I served as a sports editor for Wingspan — I embraced my time here as a Falcon. Obviously, I will miss all aspects of West. Teachers such as Kelly Cooper, Resi Dolbee and Mrs. G transformed my experience, and I am ever thankful for all that I learned. I have met so many characters — so many eclectic individuals. The Dirty Birds redefined #nolimits
Progress from England to West Henderson through a newly developed sense of school spirit, while the senior class left its mark on the school through dedication, hard work and friendship. Speaking of the senior class, we are all going our own separate ways, and as we walk out of the school, we can hold our heads high with integrity. We can all be proud of the way we have experienced high school here in these halls. Soon enough I will be attending Elon University where I will create new memories. I will study economics, I will run onto the field after a touchdown against a rival, I will star in the theater department’s musical, I will meet new characters — I will embrace my time there as a Phoenix. If I could travel back in time and tell a young me, a short, pudgy, little British kid, that I would one day not only live across the world in a different country, but I would also go to a school like West, be part of the Wingspan staff and attend Elon, I would have thought “Future Me” was crazy. Walking down the senior steps for the last time this year reminded me of where I have been.
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