As I write this article, I can’t help but feel so many emotions regarding my life at Aliso Niguel High School. I have truly spent these past four years dedicating myself to become the best person I can be, and I have changed so much since the day I stepped foot on campus. The reality that I am about to leave the four walls that have been my life for the past four years is sinking in me. Without ANHS, I would not have become the person I am today.

Starting off in freshman year, I was exposed to an entirely new environment. I fell nervous, scared, and excited all at once. It felt like a huge transition in my maturity had occurred. I began to meet new people, gained new friends, and changed my social circle entirely. I had connected with people I never thought I would have. Had you told me that my freshman year was to be cut short by a world-wide pandemic, I would not have believed you. COVID-19 had changed my life in so many ways.

The social personality I once had began to reduce bit by bit as I slowly rotted in front of screen for school everyday. I faced a big depressive episode, as many others did. I began to lose sight on the person I had created and wanted to be during my high school years. The student I once was slowly faded away. It’s okay to go through a rough period, high school isn’t perfect. But is these imperfections that define how we can improve and how we can grow from any situation.

When junior year began, and students returned to school in-person, I felt that I had just received the biggest opportunity to regain that person I had lost. I began experimenting new friendships with people I had known, but not truly known on a personal level. I branched myself out to gain more and more friends. Since then, I am glad to say that I have made so many friends that’ll be there for me, even after my time at ANHS.

As I look ahead to the future, I am both excited and scared, just as I had been on the first day of freshman year. That is what life is; every new chapter starts with a whirlwind of emotions. And that is okay. For anyone who feels that they are stuck in the position they currently are in, or that they won’t be able to reinvent themselves in an improved way, just know that it is possible. High school is the era in one’s life that creates the person we want to become. We go through new experiences and new changes that mold our characters. 

I want to thank the people who helped me during my time at Aliso Niguel High School. I want to thank my friends, teachers, and even people I disagreed with, for making me the person I am today. I truly do not believe I would be writing this article without the encounters and obstacles I faced in my four years at ANHS. Remember, how you view life is what you make of it, so make sure to view life in the best way possible. 

Thank you.