It’s as though one second you are walking through the doors of your high school for the first time and the next you are throwing up your cap at graduation. However, take a minute to recall just how much you have emotionally grown since your first day of freshman year. Whether you’ve been in school for two weeks or two years, it is very likely that your thoughts reflect the complex ways your personality has adapted to a new, scary, and exciting environment. If you’re still harboring any doubt behind the accuracy of this statement, this article might help you clear up your opinion.

Freshman and Seniors at Hillsborough High School shared their unique perspectives from the first week of school to compare their biggest fears, excitements, and thoughts from their first versus last year at HHS.

Freshman, when asked about their biggest fears for their first year said their main focus is grades. Ninth graders Thomas Marticek and Ali Sultan, said they were most focused on “failing important classes and getting bad grades” over anything else. On the other hand, when seniors like Leanna Joju are asked the same question about college they tend to answer with a broader perspective. Joju said she was afraid of the idea that the “world was ever changing” and could greatly affect the trajectory of her life. She said she was focused on the idea that nothing is set into stone since instability is part of the college experience. 

Similarly when asked what he was most excited for this year, Sultan said, “Football games, spirit days and hopefully getting good grades.”  Joju, asked the same question, said she was excited for a “new sense of independence and getting the chance to do anything and find a new version of yourself”. 

Joju said that if she was to start high school again she would try to “put herself out there more” and get out of her comfort zone. She said she would recommend current freshmen to “try everything as the stakes aren’t high so they can figure out who they want to be.”

Now think back to walking in the doors for the first time. Think about throwing your cap up at graduation. More importantly, think about all how you have grown emotionally during this time. Think about what used to scare you at the start, but might not seem as frightening anymore. Conversely, think about what you didn’t give thought to at the start but now constantly occupies your mind. Many of you might find that your unique personality mirrors the journey you have taken at the high school.