Hey! For those of you that are reading this and do not know me, I am Holly Martinez. My purpose of this letter is not to lecture you on what I think is wrong or right, but rather to share what I wish I knew going into my senior year.
First and foremost I’d like to point out this obvious yet forgotten analogy. In many ways, life is like a book and my final pages came to a close four days ago, when I heard the school bell ring for the last time as my story as a high school senior came to an end. Not only speaking on my behalf, but on others too, I believe we’ve been so consumed by all the classwork, homework, and college applications this year that we haven’t had a moment to stop and admire all of the chapters we have completed in our stories. Although reaching the title of “graduation” in our stories is exciting, It is important to admire the part of life that you are in, and all that is around you.
As a girl who moved away from her hometown during her sophomore year with no connections here, I walked into San Dimas with nothing to offer but hope for a good three years, yet I got so much from this school in return. The warmest welcoming from ASB, the cheer team, a journalism teacher, and all of the students, are what made me sure I made the best choice. Therefore, I would like to emphasize the value of being warm and welcoming, compassionate, and authentically you as you move forward from today. Consider your place in the stories of others. Perhaps you might be the new transfer student. Or, the one welcoming a new student. Wherever your story may take you, remember that YOU are the author of your story and every breath we take is a new chance to make YOURSELF proud and accomplish YOUR goals.
I would like to remind you all of what Song Writer Miley Cyrus says in her song “The Climb” “I may not know it, but these are the moments that I’m gonna remember most, and I just gotta keep going”. And this is true, as life is built off these small and big moments.
From writing essays in our English class, to college essays, to even this paper, I realized that we will continue to write new chapters in our story, and each chapter will become just a distant moment. All of our moments of staying up busting all nighters, or the ones we spent on quizlet and photomath trying to make sense of what we were learning. The moments at championships that you won, or lost. The moment your sport inflicted injury happened, the moment that you recovered. The trips you had with your friends, every sad or treasured moment. Time is filled with these “moments”, some that you may remember and some that you may forget. Remember the people that you spent those moments with and how they will shape you moving on. Remember how it felt when he or she made you laugh, the way you felt when they made you cry, the feeling you had at your happiest moments, and in your most nerve wracking moments. The chapters in our story are built on these sacred moments, emotions, and the characters within them.
I can’t express to you enough that high school is so much more than just academics: It’s about learning what and who we love. So now, Take a moment to appreciate this moment we have been given with the people who YOU may have faulted, or the people who may have faulted YOU. To those you love, and who have loved you. A writer once said “no matter how beautiful or tragic a moment is, it always ends”. So, hold on to these moments you walk away from every day, and go forward holding them tighter, smile bigger, cry harder, feel and love deeper. One day when we’re old and wrinkly, we will sit and wish we could simply go back and re-read our story for the first time. So Saints, enjoy the moments you’ve made, and more importantly the moment we are in now before it becomes distant and one day possibly gone.
Much like High school, adulthood is going to be filled with many challenging moments day to day as we already know. There is no point in stressing out about the unknown and what we can’t control. Instead enjoy the time that you are in and deal with the experiences that hit you when they do as best as you can, because there is not true way to prepare for all that life brings you. All of these moments that you will soon experience, the constant changes up to today, are part of the story will make you who you are. Learn to let go of humility and be proud of your success and your failures.
Life is too short to worry, yet life is so long to be able to experience all you hope for. In your moments, be careful as you walk through life, but be kind and be true. I’ll leave you with that.
