Class of 2023
I remember vividly walking into high school on my first day of freshman year here at Ike and thinking it was an impossible thing to make it through intact. Coming into Eisenhower, I wasn’t popular, and my best friend had switched schools. I felt alone in a new world. I’d heard, “It’s a similar jump to starting middle school.” I was in for a big surprise when it was the opposite of that. No, this was more like the jump from preschool to elementary. I also heard, “It’ll go by fast.” Haha, tell me about it; I only got two years in the building. Half of my experience was spent locked inside the house. Although I doubt that’ll happen again soon, unexpected changes like that happen a lot, so if you’re a freshman, expect the unexpected.
Throughout my time here, I’ve participated in a couple of extracurriculars that helped me branch out into new social groups. I took drama class in my freshman year, which was super fun, but sadly Ms. Peterson retired during Covid break. That class got me involved in drama club, though, which was the most formative experience up to that point in my life. It made me realize that Seniors weren’t all monsters. It helped me understand how to interact with older people on a new level I hadn’t experienced. I was really shy and pretty introverted before then, so I highly recommend freshmen of any kind should join the drama club or any club in general for that same reason.
Across my experience at Ike, nothing has quite matched the feeling of senior year. It’s stressful, even more than I imagined. I took what I thought would be easy classes, like Photography and Food Science, for example, but both are more work than I expected (not that I don’t like the classes). On top of that, I have had to start preparing for college, which has been stressful but exciting. Pro-tip, prepare for your FAFSA (Federal financial aid for college) early if you’re a junior right now. Have a parent make an account too. You’ll thank me when next October comes. On top of this stress, I have a job too, which some of you may know the struggle of. I make it sound horrible, and it is in ways, but I’d say the pros outweigh the cons. A big pro of this year that I’ve noticed is that the seniors all seem a lot more comfortable talking about anything and everything and are no longer shy newcomers. I’ve known some of these people since they were kindergartners. They’re all different from what I ever would’ve guessed back then in a special way. They’re all their own personality now, and more distinct.
Class of ‘23 was born when Bush was president, and now we have lived through the first black president, the first orange president, and now the first fossilized president. But somehow, not one woman. Also, when we were born, iPhones weren’t even around. Second-generation iPods were the norm in terms of apple products at the time. Today, the latest edition is the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Elon Musk didn’t even have 1 billion dollars when we were born. Today, he’s the richest man alive, with over 219 billion dollars. My point with this is that a lot can change in eighteen years. It feels to me sometimes, and I’m sure some of you seniors can relate, that this is the end of our journey and that where we leave off our senior year will set the rest of our lives in stone. That’s not true. Wherever you are now, you can be the opposite 18 years from now.
Your life can be anything you want, and I think that if you're in a bad spot now, don’t feel like it's the end of the world. Don’t know what college you want to go to? You have years to decide. Don’t know what career you want to pursue? You have years to find your passion. So, seniors, if you’re scared to make the jump from high school to maturity, take comfort in the fact that we are all in the same boat, sailing into the same horizon.
