Reminiscing:A senior remembers years at Collinwood

It feels like just yesterday I was a fourteen-year-old girl entering the door of high school, scared of the unknown. Now here I am a senior getting ready to graduate. Soon I’ll be starting a new chapter, leaving my life at Collinwood behind.

I remember my freshman year of high school, people saying don’t get consumed with everyone and stay focused on your main goals, so that’s what I did. When staying focused, I forgot to be myself, to let go sometimes and be a careless kid who lives in the moment. In ninth grade I was always quiet and reserved, observing everything that “high school has to offer.” I started to open up my sophomore year letting people in, making “friends,” and living in the moment and that got me average grades and a lot of unnecessary conversations and time wasted.

I had to find the line between focusing and still living in the moment and letting my hair down. I found out that it was a thin line that could easily be slipped on. I was determined to walk that fine line, and I did my junior year. I had to become more responsible and I became more able to distinguish the moments when I should be about business from the moments I was able to play and joke around. I started to understand the saying, “There is a time and a place for everything.”

Here I am, reminiscing on my years of high school, thinking of all my years and the different memories I have. I have experienced many feelings throughout my years of high school, such as being proud yet humble, feeling heart-broken, feeling like a nerd or feeling unstoppable and capable of anything. I remember the feelings of the first day of school and not knowing anyone and being nervous and shy; I also remember talking all class period and when you leave you notice you didn’t get anything done.

I now hear from people that I started talking sophomore year and I haven’t stopped talking yet. I don’t regret anything I’ve done or said, I just wish I would have become more social with my peers and seen what they had to offer me.

As I tell everyone, high school is what you make it, don’t waste four years of life just living in the moment. There will be some times to relax and have fun, but then there are the more serious times when business has to be handled. High school for me wasn’t bad, of course like everyone there were things that I could’ve done differently.

I am content with my high school experience and all the memories and lessons that I have from Collinwood High School.

Arnita Washington is a Collinwood High School senior who will be attending John Carroll University in the Fall of 2013.