We, Us

Well, here we are. We’ve spent four years together, and in just four months, we’ll be separated—scattered; from here to Chicago, from New York to LA, from the United States to England. We’re all waiting anxiously for the moment that’s been assigned to us since we got our Novell usernames. Two-thousand twelve seemed too far away back then, but here we are.

This is the end. Our time at the school is done, and there are so many memories of the school. Having spent so much time in one building, there is a connection we have with the place. The school has been a vessel for so many of our memories these past four years. All the time we spent and connections we made have made an impact on our lives. However, as we leave, it will be difficult to say if we have made an impact on the school. If we come back to visit in a few years, will the things we did be remembered? Some of the younger kids and the teachers will remember us, but our specific actions will probably not impact the school after we leave. But I think that there is something wrong with wanting to impact a place.

 Wherever you are, wherever you go, a place is special because of the people. We shouldn’t ask ourselves, “Where do I belong?” Rather, we should ask “With whom do I belong?” I think that we, as human beings, do make a lasting impact on other human beings. When your best friend goes off and develops a cure for cancer, you can remember the time you dunked on them while playing basketball. When a friend in band becomes a famous musician, you can remember all the goofing off you did in class. You can remember freshman gym class with that pro athlete. There will always be memories of our shenanigans.   What we do in the school won’t matter to the kids that come after us, but those kids won’t matter to us, either.

The people that have stayed with you are the ones that know who you are and what you’ve been through. I think that the most important thing in life is relating to others. It’s difficult to do, so we have to give our full effort to understanding each other. Because if we don’t have other human beings, what do we have? We won’t leave an impact on the school, but we’ll have left an impact on our friends. In our new lives, there will be more people to impact. That is what we are going out to do. We’re going out to make an impact on a larger amount of people in the real world.

We must remember not to forget. When we go off to new and exciting places, we might lose our old connections. There will be times to make new friends, but don’t let your best ones go. Keep this time with you. It’s been a good four years, and as we go off into the wild of the real world, I hope the friends we’ve made will stay connected. We’re here for each other. Remember that it doesn’t matter where we belong, but with whom we belong. Good luck, class of 2012.