Dear East High School,

This letter goes out to all the teachers and friends that I have made and lost through these four years. I want to give a sincere thank you. Thank you for helping me feel like I belong somewhere even when I felt like I was a nobody, thank you for helping me discover my passions, and most of all thank you for helping me grow into my own skin. These four years have been the most difficult and fun years by far.

My freshman year was one of the most difficult years of my life. I was fresh out of middle school and had no idea who I was or how I belonged. I had a very tiny circle of friends and was very shy. I went home after school and fought invisible battles that I told no one about, except a sharpened piece of metal. I went through an abusive relationship that I eventually got over.

My sophomore year was the beginning of my theatre career; As short lived as it was. My first ever high school musical was Hairspray and I had auditioned for the main role of Tracy Turnblad. Unfortunately I didn’t get that particular role but I was fine with it. I was brand new and I was terrified. I knew absolutely no one, but I had made incredible new friends. My first mistake was making friends with the seniors because after the end of Much Ado About Nothing (which, I had managed to score a written in role of Lucy Nado) I was very sad to see them go.

My junior year I was finally discovering who I thought I was. I had made an amazing group of friends and I was very involved in theatre; I had found my clique. Halfway through the year however, I was officially diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I was put on medication and life was looking up for me. I had gotten into cosplay ( Meaning costume play) and I was putting my heart and soul into my sewing. That summer I had met some friends at Comic-Con and one in particular became very near and dear to my heart; becoming a very prominent father figure to me.

Now, here we are, my senior year. The end of 13 years of steady education. Though this year isn’t at an end quite yet, it’s been filled with hardships. I had lost a best friend of 8 years, I had stopped taking my medications and I had fallen in a deep depression for quite awhile, my grades had dropped and I lost motivation. It wasn’t until I had a moment of self-realization that I had finally got my act back together. I’ve started taking my medications again and i’ve started to become motivated again. I’m on the path to success.

I want to say one last thing before I leave. To any lower classmen, follow your passions. Be who you want to be and be who you are. Don’t silence your dreams and your thoughts; Don’t try and be “cool” or “popular” because in the end you’ll end up regretting not following your heart. Take it from someone who discovered her passions too late in life.

Goodbye East High,