I have done a lot in my past four years of high school. I made friends, studied hard, took on leadership roles and even taught a grown man how to properly use the word “slay.” However, most importantly, I have grown and taken time to get to know myself.

Coming into freshman year during COVID was nothing short of terrifying. At the time, I had been completely isolated from my friends and peers for five months. I remember sobbing to my mom about how scared I was the night before my first day. The only thing that got me through the first few weeks was the fact that I had my two best friends beside me: Tyler and Aivree.

Unfortunately, only a few weeks into my freshman year, the entire school switched over to a hybrid system. This meant that I was on a completely opposite schedule than Tyler and Aivree and a vast majority of people I knew. This portion of my freshman year was terrible. I only spoke around 10 words a day, sat by myself at lunch and struggled to adjust to a new schedule. At the time, I wanted to “fit in” more than anything. I would try to emulate what the popular girls wore in an attempt to get people to like or talk to me, but nothing worked. Thankfully, we eventually went back to a regular school schedule, and I had the familiarity of my best friends surrounding me everyday.

I had high hopes for my sophomore year, knowing that COVID was not in the way of me seeing friends or meeting people. However, much to my dismay, I still struggled to talk to people and make friends. At this point, I was involved in the Gibson Southern Theatre Department and had met a few new people, but continued to exclusively talk to my two best friends. I also joined “The Southerner” staff that year, which affected me in more ways than I could have imagined.

Being on our newspaper staff forced me to go out of my comfort zone and talk to people I had never heard of. It was very tough at first, but I got better at interviews and eventually I felt confident talking to almost everyone. I started to gain more confidence, not only in my newspaper class, but in every aspect of my life. I started to develop my own personal style, straying away from the “trendy” styles I once wore to try and fit in.

Around halfway through my sophomore year, I learned that Aivree, one of my best friends since second grade, was going to move nearly five hours away. To say I was devastated was an understatement. I thought that this change would be the end of my social life, but I could not be more wrong.

Since I only had one true friend going into my junior year (embarrassing, I know), I knew I had to start talking to people. I quickly started to make new friends using my newfound social skills I learned in newspaper class the year before. I took newspaper again my junior year, something I thought I would ABSOLUTELY not do. I was even asked to be the copy editor this year, and I was stoked.

Throughout the year, I continued to develop my own style and took time to learn more about myself. I learned that I was not as antisocial as I once thought I was, and that I loved hanging out with my friends. I surrounded myself with the people I loved at any opportunity I got. I also discovered what I wanted to do with my life after high school, something I had been struggling with for years.

Finally, I made it to my senior year of high school. It felt surreal. I was only at school half of the day and found myself interning with my best friend in the entire world, Tyler. Although I only had four periods a day, I made sure to take my favorite class, newspaper. This year I had the privilege of being the editor-in-chief and helped to lead the class. I talked and gossiped with Mr. Grigsby for hours everyday and spent the entire class period cackling with Tyler and Aaron. Near the end of the year, I started to catch a case of senioritis pretty bad, but I managed to keep going and finish my assignments.

That brings me to right now, writing this column less than a week before I walk across the stage and get my high school diploma. While I know what comes next is terrifying and challenging, I feel ready. I attribute this confidence to my experiences and the lessons I’ve learned in newspaper the past three years. If not for this class, I would have no individuality or confidence. I am forever grateful for the people in the class who have helped me along the way, and cannot wait to see the wonderful things the staff accomplishes under amazing new leadership next year.