Set me free again.

"Do you remember the days

We built these paper mountains

And sat and watched them burn

I think I found my place

Can't you feel it growing stronger

Little conqueror"

    As I write this, I am less than 24 hours away from graduating high school. In a word, it's bittersweet. I've made so many close friends and had so many great memories the past 4 years. Time really does fly. It doesn't seem like it's been 4 years since I started high school. Where did it all go? I mean, I've heard people say enjoy it because it will pass by very quickly. I never believed them until I started walking out the doors on the last day for seniors.

    It's been an emotional roller-coaster, the past few years. It's like Led Zeppelin said, "Good times, bad times, you know I've had my share." Even though I try to live without regrets, I still have a few about high school. I wish I would've been more outgoing and a little more self-confident. I tried to be, but not nearly hard enough. To be honest, I won't miss the school at all. I will miss the good friends that I'm leaving behind, and that's not just fellow classmates. I've come to befriend more than a few of my former teachers. One teacher, I will miss more than the rest because he has become more of a father figure and a role model to me. He taught me valuable lessons, not only in his field (and my future occupation), but also life lessons that will be extremely valuable in the future.

    Although I will miss them all dearly, I am looking forward to starting a whole new chapter of my life by starting college this Fall. I simply cannot wait to start college and kick-start my career of being a music teacher. I'll meet more new people and make many more new friends. If these 4 years of high school have flown by, I can't begin to imagine how fast the time will fly once I begin college. It's unreal just imagining that in 5 years, I will be a college graduate and looking for a job as a music teacher.

    High school has been a wonderful experience. I will miss it, but I know because I'm about to graduate, I'm one step closer to fulfilling my dreams. That's all that really matters to me. If you do something you love, you'll never work a day in your life.