I went into high school unsure about a lot of things. Freshman year was definitely rough with trying to adjust to maturing and the routine of classwork. I felt like I had to grow up too fast and figure everything out.

My schedule was all over the place. I knew I was partaking in Spanish and orchestra for the next four years, but I just didn’t know what else to fill it with.

Claire was the one to convince me to join The Journal. She said we would do it together, through and through. She’s my best friend, so I knew I had to stick with her no matter what.

But I was unsure of my pathway. I stuck with business because I knew I had a natural talent for it, but at the end of junior year, I knew I couldn’t just take the easy path as my future.

That’s why I decided to switch my entire career goal and pathway to something that did interest me: engineering. Yet, it wasn’t a natural calling at all. It’s an interest of mine that shouldn’t have been discovered, as all it has led to is self-doubt, yet there’s a flicker of determination in me.

To the teachers that saw that in me, Ms. Breeden, Mrs. Marshall, Mrs. Posadas and Mrs. Rettig, thank you guys for always believing in me and lifting me up when I was down. Ms. Breeden, I hope you know that talk that we had has stuck with me every single day and meant more to me than one can imagine. Finally, thank you, Mr. K, for allowing me to cry and laugh with you and be that shoulder.

It’s been fun, Southport.