Our Last Full Month

By David Kilgo

Long at last, here we are at the end. It only felt like yesterday that the seniors in the Class of 2023 went on Senior Sneak, After Sneak Dinner, CB, and various other events that marked our senior class experience. Because this is the last full month of our high school careers, this time also reflects on all the experiences and relationships built during this school year. 

The funny thing about senior year is how it feels so slow yet so fast. It only feels like we began our eighteen-hour journey to Telunas Resorts in Indonesia yesterday. For many, senioritis marks their senior year like an indelible stain. The slow, dragging days seem to go by in a blur, characterized by a lack of motivation and a yearning for the end of the school year to finally come. But when that last day of high school does come, it comes out of nowhere. It sneaks up on seniors even though they anticipated it this whole time. 

The emotions felt on that last day can vary from person to person. Some will feel excited to move on to the next chapter in their lives, and others will feel overwhelming sadness when they finally realize that their childhood is truly over. However, based on conversations with Dalat alumni, it seems most seniors will feel a mix of both emotions. Seniors must remind themselves that change is a part of life, and there’s no avoiding the turn of a new page. Even though high school seniors have no control over the ticking clock and looming graduation, one thing seniors do have control over is how they react to the upcoming change. The end of senior year is a time to get our priorities straight, plan our futures, spend as much time as possible with friends, set new goals, and eventually say goodbye. 

Seniors are also responsible for adapting to a new environment, regardless of their post-high school plans. Going into a new environment is scary and nerve-racking for everyone, but change allows us to adapt and grow. It’s an opportunity to make new friends, learn new things about ourselves and the world, and most importantly, it provides us a chance to build our futures. 

However, one day, whether it’s fifteen or fifty years from now, we will look back on this change, and we will realize that it helped shape us into who we have become. It may be uncomfortable, emotional, unsettling, and even downright ugly, but change is the agent of growth. Because there’s no avoiding it, we are better off accepting it with open arms. Even if our last full month of high school is emotional, it’s still one more month that we get to spend with our friends before we go. And when we do leave, our goodbyes will be bittersweet, yet meaningful.