First Semester

The Final Blog

 

For me, the first semester of senior year went by too fast. I can’t believe it’s already the first day of finals. Despite this bittersweet ending, I’m so grateful for the time I’ve spent with friends and family. As the semester went on, I was also able to focus on myself, and on my art. 

This semester, the most important thing I’ve learned personally was how to live in the moment. I think in the past, I used to spend too much time worrying about the future. But this semester taught me to take the time to absorb my present surroundings and reflect on them. This sounds really cheesy, but looking back, I truly appreciated every single day I had. Even when things got tough, I still appreciate the lessons I learned. I truly believe that every moment is precious, which is definitely something I’m going to carry with me next semester, and especially next year. 

 

Here are some things I appreciate from this semester: 

• The color red 
• Pens because you can make temporary tattoos 
• The air vent next to my seat in AP Computer Science 
• Nichols Library 
• My insane poster making skills 
• Mind & Body zumba 
• Starbucks 
• Colored pencils and markers 
• Taking the bus to Central 
• AP Lit blog posts 

 

Now I’m going to give advice to students going into senior year. 

I think my first piece of advice would be to start thinking about a college essay topic early, and try to get that first draft done earlier in the school year. It’s definitely helpful to have something to start with at the beginning of the year, and the sooner that rough draft is completed, the more time and opportunity there will be to revise. One thing I did that helped a lot was just to keep note of things on my phone that I would be able to write about in an essay. 

My second piece of advice for senior year would be to also find balance with academics and self. Senior year is definitely difficult. Students need to focus on studying for classes, demanding extracurriculars, personal life, AND college applications. With so many things on one tiny plate, it’s crucial to take some time out to relax or do something enjoyable. What I would do was go to the library a lot with my friends, and spend some time working on homework or college applications together, and then take Starbucks or ice cream breaks. It was a good way to spend time with friends while also getting things done. 

My third piece of advice would be to talk to a lot of people (if you’re comfortable to do so). Listen to their stories. Make friends! I think it’s important to make connections, and especially as a senior, since it’s the final year, I think connecting with a lot of people helped me venture out of my comfort zone. I now have great people I can talk to whenever. I have great friends who can advise me on my art, help me with Valorant and Minecraft, and who I can start a business with. I’ve also learned the value in community, and I’ve learned that if you ask for help, people will be there for you. 

In all, I think the most defining part of my senior year so far has been the idea of balance. I think I prioritized spending time with friends and family, spending time on school and extracurriculars, and spending time on myself evenly. Well, maybe a bit less on myself, but everything was still pretty balanced. This even reflects on my art, because a big part of what I was concerned about was the balance of color and saturation in it. But after taking some risks, everything turned out pretty well in the end. I’m grateful to say that the first semester of my senior year has turned out the same. 

 

**Throughout this semester, I’ve taken a lot of selfies, especially in AP Lit, AP CS, and lunch. Here are some of the AP Lit selfies because this class is AP Lit: