Starting this week, high school seniors throughout New Jersey will be wrapping up their final days of class, taking their final high school tests and walking onto their high school field one more time for graduation.
It’s an exciting time in the life of a young man or young woman. The final week of high school, the graduation ceremony, the hugs and congratulations following, the celebrations that will last throughout the summer and the packing for, the drive to and the arrival at college are memories graduates will remember fondly.
To all the grads out there, while you may want to rush these last few days so school can be out for summer, and so high school can be out forever, remember to savor every remaining moment.
This may not mean much to you right now, but there are experiences you will have in these next few days, these next few months, that you will never replicate again. There are people you will graduate with — some friends, some acquaintances, some whom you grew up with — whom you may never see again. There are some whom you are close with now who you will grow apart from over the years, and yes, there are some whom you will grow closer to as your lives change.
Those wistful days of no responsibility will be behind you. Soon, you will be on your own. You will have the freedom to eat pizza for breakfast, stay up until 4 a.m., take a nap in the middle of the day, go berzerk at a sporting event wearing your school’s colors and skip a class if you want to — note: we don’t recommend that last one.
The label “high school student” came with a lot of restrictions on your freedom, but it also gave you a get-out-of-jail-free card, or cards. Once graduation is over, that label goes away. All freedoms given to an American adult will be yours.
But so, too, will all the consequences of your actions. The decisions you make — from as serious as “do I study for this test?” to “should I eat another burrito?” — will all have results that will affect your life. It’s a lot of responsibility. It’s a good thing, for sure, but it can also be a scary thing, becoming an adult.
So, again, while you still have the option, live life as a “kid” one last time. Savor these last few days of high school. And be confident that you will do just fine.
Good luck and congratulations!
