“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.” – Charles Dickens

While this quote from A Tale of Two Cities describes the times of the French Revolution, it perfectly sums up the past four years of high school. From starting freshman year right after COVID-19, still wearing masks, to senior year and all of the fun (and stress) that came with it, I have truly experienced the best of times and the worst of times. 

There are many moments in high school that I would consider to be the best times, like Friday Night Lights, homecoming week, late night conversations with friends, coffee on late start Wednesdays, concerts, performances, basketball games, and more. These moments gave me memories that I will carry with me forever, no matter how insignificant. These best times gave me friendships and life skills. I will never forget screaming High School Musical in the parking lot after a long rehearsal, all the long conversations coming home from basketball games, or the atrocious amount of coffee I drank to get me through the week. 

There are also moments in high school that I would consider to be the worst of times, like finals week, AP tests, and the dreaded math classes I suffered through for four years. And even though these moments would be far from considered fun, they did teach me invaluable lessons. They prepared me for college, taught me how to entertain myself for hours on end, and how to keep going even when I wasn’t the best at what I was doing. The worst of times have left me with even more valuable lessons than the best of times.

High school brings up a lot of different emotions. There are so many experiences to be had, so many mistakes to make, and so many memories to hold close. There are friendships to be made, and unfortunately to be broken too. But all of this prepares you for life. There is never a guarantee that everything will be all sunshine and rainbows, but there is value in the rainstorm too. So if you get anything from this, know that high school is always what you make it. If you look for the bad, you will only see the bad. But look for the good, and the good will show up in ways you never expected. Learn from mistakes and let your success motivate you. Don’t give up even if it seems the world is up against you. Be kind, compassionate, and please, for the love of everything good, use your common sense. Learn the lessons now that will give you the tools to succeed. 

There’s room for the best of times and the worst of times.