Days. That’s how long I have until the end of my senior year.

The panic has set in, as well as bittersweet victory. My father never graduated high school; he received his GED rather than walking a stage. For my family and I this is an extreme accomplishment; a pinnacle of four years struggle spanning two states and a lot of notebook paper. And yet it makes me sad. I know that once I walk across the stage at the Cedar Park Center I’m an adult. I’m responsible for my life and where I take myself from then on. And that is terrifying.
This year has given me so much hope for my future. I have found my passion through journalism and photography. I feared for a long time that when I was older I would end up in a job I hated, now I know better. Now I know the beauty of a photograph, the art of peering behind the curtain and sharing the world with the people unable to see it.

I have found friendships and love as well. The support I have seen in my friends has helped me survive this year. Without them I would’ve fallen a long time ago. As a person I don’t like showing pain, sadness, fear. Yet without knowing or realizing it my closest friends, my sisters, have eased my personal struggles and lifted me higher than anyone else could have. I am ready.

I will not fall back on my family, I will not cave in to stress or accept failure. I will succeed in my endeavors and fulfill my dreams. No one will stop me. Nothing can stop me. That is the goal I have set for myself and as I wave silently goodbye to everyone I have known and loved, I smile a little inside. Because I will do just fine.