As the end of the year draws near, the conclusion of this high school journey also fast approaches. In the midst of college applications and extracurricular activities, it’s often easy to forget just how short, and how crucial, this time is in our lives.
The holidays and new year serve as a reminder that time, forever fleeting, is of the essence. For the Class of 2025, there are only five months left—five months left to greet our friends in the hallway, five months to lose our breath walking up the Brunelli stairs, five months to ask everyone for lunch codes, five months to agonize over the start of a new school week, five months to continue thinking, “I’m so ready to leave.”
Yet in our shared senioritis, there is also a crucial idea we each hold heavily in our hearts, that this marks the beginning and the end; it’s a bittersweet realization, knowing that this may be the time the paths alongside our longtime friends start to diverge, but also knowing that we have great plans in store for all of us, abundant of success, newfound joy, and independence.
Born and raised in Malden, I’ve been acquainted with this small, diverse town for the entirety of my life. As I commit to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, I reflect back on how this has uniquely shaped my character and ambitions. I have the familiar phrase “do well, be well” ingrained in the back of my mind and I also adore the strong tight-knit community that I’ve built here; both these aspects make me extremely sad to leave, yet equally prepared to explore my future ahead.
After spending much of my high school year chasing academic perfection, I want to emphasize that perfection should not be the sole focus of anyone’s goals, but rather evolution and growth. It’s impossible to achieve everything all at once. To seniors, the stress associated with the question, “What are you planning to do after high school?” is known to everyone. And, the release of early college decisions—either this month or the next—brings both anticipation and anxiety to all. But, regardless of what happens, I am certain that everything happens for a reason and everyone will end up exactly where they are meant to be, with their new path that fits their future ambitions.
I look forward to learning the various ways my peers will contribute to the world and make it a better place, as they become doctors, lawyers, engineers, computer scientists, accountants, and teachers to leave their Malden High legacy on the world. From here, everyone branches out to make an impact. I am sure that the impact everyone will leave will be positive and unique.
With each new supplemental essay and college application we write, we can feel our future nearing us, shifting into the present. What was just four years ago—us stepping onto the Jenkins steps for a freshman class picture—will soon be the spot where many of us step out into the world, leaving behind our Malden High legacy. In the next few months, as we see our friends commit to the schools, jobs, or trade schools they’ll be attending for the next years of their lives, our futures grow closer into our grasp and clear in our visions.
At this pivotal moment—for some, the most pivotal moment—of our high school careers, it’s imperative to maintain hope for our bright futures and leave Malden with a great sense of ambition as we embark on our new journeys. These next few months, filled with writing college supplemental essays and exploring potential job and trade options, are sure to shape the future we will very soon venture into.
Despite our overwhelmed feelings and uncertainties for our future prospects, we must come to realize that everything will fall into place and everyone will end up exactly where they are meant to be—in spite of any redirections or unplanned events, everything has led up to this moment and the next chapter of our lives is laying out in front of us, eagerly waiting for us to accept and embrace the new change. I am sure we will all do our best to achieve our dreams and look back at this time not with stress but with excitement and happiness, nostalgia for how far we’ve grown, and the friendships we’ve made.
In just a few months that will feel like a breeze, we will be let out into the world, and many of us will still feel like teenagers. When we entered high school, we had just come from two years of remote and hybrid learning during the pandemic, in which many had struggled and lost their ambitions and sociability. Just two years ago, I wrote an article about how the new phone policy arose from a need for a lack of sociability between people post-pandemic. Now, every day as I look around Malden High, the connections between the student body are evident.
As I look through old photos and videos, I reminisce on the special memories I’ve shared over the past years with friends I’ve had since elementary school and friends I’ve made recently. The great thing about Malden High is the connections you can easily make here. That makes it, however, just as hard to say goodbye.
So as these next few months quickly approach us—as much as many of us look forward to the day after AP exams conclude—my advice is to make the most of what remains. Make these last moments special, try new things, go to class events, ice skate, participate in new clubs, and play sports. It is so crucial to spend time with loved ones in this stressful time and remain positive by making fun memories.
Days and weeks go by quickly, months fastly fading and escaping our grasp. In this crucial era of our lives, we must remember to look past the anxiety and stresses of college applications and future plans and remain grounded in our present excitements, creating lasting friendships, meaningful memories, and valuable achievements that our future selves will be proud to back upon.
