Hello, my name is Lauren Conroy and I am in denial about being a senior. My time in high school has been a blur. Instead of feeling like the 17 year-old I am today, I feel that I am still 13 with a watermelon retainer, a mess of French braids and a fear of the adult men (senior boys) sharing the hallways with me. Four years and almost seven inches have passed since I started at Vandegrift in 2011. At the time, graduation seemed like an eternity away. I wish that I had known how fast my high school experience would pass me by because there are so many things I would have done differently. Take my advice freshman and make the most the next four years.

Take advantage of the wonderfully spirited school you attend. Go to the sports games and lose your voice cheering for the Vipers. The excitement of the Friday night-lights isn’t something that I learned to truly appreciate until the end of my junior year. But we live in Texas and we are in high school so enjoying football is something that you are going to have to live with. And trust me, you will love it. I can honestly say that I have never expressed any interest in sports (outside of Zac Efron’s debut as Troy Bolton in High School Musical), but football games are fun for me! Being one with your classmates will give you a sense of pride in your school, something that is very valuable if you want to enjoy it.

Do what you like. If you want to be on the announcements, join broadcast. If you think sign language sounds fun, sign up for the class. If you have always wanted to dance, take an introductory course. You will never find a better time to do new things than right now. It is the prime time of your life. Soak it up and do what you want to. Don’t waste your time in a sport you don’t love and don’t take classes based on what college you want to go to. Live in the present. Think about getting the most you can out of your youth. High school is the perfect time to try new things and meet new people.

Introduce yourself to more people. Set a goal for the number of signatures you want in your yearbook by the end of senior year. You want to leave Vandegrift making as large of an impact as possible. Remember, some of the people you meet in high school you will know for the rest of your life. Out of the almost 2000 students at our school, there is bound to be at least one that can become a life-long friend. And don’t let the status quo get in the way of meeting new people. If you enjoy someone’s company, get to know them, regardless of their other friends, activities or aesthetics. Make sure that you take advantage of all the possibilities to find happiness in high school.

And finally, don’t stress. Since my freshman year I have succumbed to stress. I have cried many tears, spent countless hours worrying and over achieved to the point of no return. I don’t encourage this. Especially as freshman you have to remember, everything will work itself out. The formal lab you are balling over will not be a big deal in a week. All of the work you do now does matter, so don’t slack off, just don’t let any one assignment ruin your life. Through out the course of your high school career you will have thousands of assignments, one setback is minor. I promise. Enjoy your life. Don’t get bogged down with homework and anxiety, it will only make you miserable.

You have four years left of some of the best times of your life. Please listen to what I have to say. Everything I have told you, I know from experience. I have suffered so you don’t have to. Live in the moment because before you know it you will also be facing your last year at Vandegrift.