My name is Grace Metivier and I’m a senior graduating in the year 2023. My experience of high school was quite different compared to most students, my high school career started right when the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Half of my freshman year was cut short when spring break got extended. I remember being really excited like everyone else at the time and I enjoyed online learning for many months until I started struggling to learn from a screen all on my own. I believe online learning set me behind in many of my future classes, especially math. My school years had no sense of time, it flew right past me and I never really got a grasp on it.

My freshman year ended completely remote, and sophomore year started online once again and moved to hybrid learning with strict rules and no school events. My junior year was the first normal year back with still some restrictions, such as masks which interfered with personal relationships with the people around you. Finally, my senior year came when life seems to be normal again, but it still feels like my freshman year and I just started high school last summer. It’s all been incredibly overwhelming dealing with figuring out my future and being out and on my own in just a couple of weeks with very little time to even consider my future. 

With that in mind, I want to give student readers some advice, don’t take things for granted. Appreciate the time you have and grab ahold of every opportunity given to you, attend those dances, participate in those spirit weeks and assemblies, and talk to that group of people you’ve always wanted to. I can’t say much because I was incredibly reserved and kept to myself up until the very end of my high school career, but there are things I wish I did and things I’m happy I never bothered to do. One thing for certain though, is make as many memories as you can, I skipped plenty of school events but still went out to make my own memories. The times I went out of my comfort zone I met the best people I still talk to that have the biggest role in my life, and I’ve even gained the best memories. You’re growing up and fast so take advantage of being young with little consequences of doing what your heart desires because you won’t always have that privilege.