With pigtails in my hair, I walked into Mrs. Cloud’s kindergarten class with a purple Walker Wildcat outfit on, a Barbie backpack and lunch box. My mom was crying, begging me to stay home with her for another year, as she didn’t want to let me go. But I was so excited. I made tons of new friends and got to spend the day coloring and learning!
Now as an upcoming freshman attending UCA, I leave Springdale with the same mascot I started with, the Wildcat.
Thinking about saying farewell to this school just makes me want to cry! It isn’t just high school I’m saying goodbye to; it’s my childhood!
Every day since I was five, I’ve woken up, gone to school, come home, and begged for Fridays and holiday breaks to come faster. With a few exceptions this has been my routine.
Three years ago I walked into school thinking I was awesome. I was going to learn all about the television and film world, be in newspaper, and I would meet so many new people. Of course, it meant that graduation was that much closer.
I didn’t think that it was possible for so much to change in just three years or for time to fly so fast. I entered high school hoping to have a career in film, but I’m leaving with a plan to major in psychology with a journalism minor.
I didn’t expect to change my entire core group of friends and I certainly didn’t think graduation would be here before I knew it!
It makes me feel old to say that 13 years ago I started something and that it’s coming to an end. I thought I was going to be a teenager forever, and now I’m legally an adult. It’s bittersweet to move on to college. Things will change and so will my life.
As excited as I am about this new beginning, I also can’t help but know I’ll be crying when the time comes for me to leave.