As I finish my junior year up I realize that there are a lot of changes coming my way. I won’t cross paths with my favorite seniors in the morning before I walk to my gym class, nor will I open the swinging door of the debate room to spreading of affirmatives, or even share a laugh with my partner in crime, Lily Howard, in the news room. The road I spent three years preparing for is fully paving, and I’m just beginning to find my steps.
Change is hard and so are the goodbyes. As I was leaving Pakistan on my trip in 2025, my aunt or as I call her one of my favorite people in the whole world said, “Goodbyes are hard.” And that hit hard. Because yes, goodbyes are some of the hardest things one can imagine, but it’s never goodbye forever, it’s simply until we meet again.
I’ve grown so much as a person through my writing, while also preparing for my senior year, but also constantly worrying about the future. The dream for me has always been to become a successful journalist and a lawyer, and most people know of my ambitions. It’s hard carrying a dream so big when you’re someone who’s deeply passionate about something, because the truth is, you never really know where life is going to take you but I am fully ready for that adventure.
As I step into the summer before my senior year, I’ll be doing many things to prepare for senior year such as taking the time to relax, a communications internship, and a journalism workshop that North Star News’s 2025 EIC, Penelope Roewe had recommended to me.
Now as I take all the advice and courage from my seniors and alumni to start something new for this upcoming era of North Star News. I’m excited to see what our paper can become. After such an amazing year filled with fun jokes, trips, and memories, I’m ready for this new experience.
I reflect on the lyrics from ‘Landslide’ By Fleetwood Mac: “Well I’ve been afraid of changing cause I’ve built my life around you.” Those lyrics feel so real to me because I really have built my life around these people and this community. But I know that growing older means stepping into roles I never thought would’ve been possible as a freshman. I’m staring at the blank page and there is so much yet to be written.
Senior year will be a brand new page of my book, and I’m so ready to take on it.
Until August my North Star News readers.
