There are only four more weeks left in the school year. For seniors, there are four weeks left until graduation. Before they walk across the stage for the last time as a Lake Ridge Eagle they reminisce on what grade left the biggest impact. 

High school is a journey that leads students to their future careers. But high school doesn’t just do that, it provides a lot of opportunities for them. Seniors get a chance to find themselves as a whole. Senior, Owen O’connor, acknowledges high school as something that helped get him out his shell.

“I definitely do think that high school inspired me to be myself. I got to do a lot of things throughout it such as choir, drill team, national honors society, and musical theater which really helped me be the person I am today,” said O’conner. 

School can be stressful for seniors being they work hard to make sure college applications are in and get college ready. Aside from all the chaos, students still find a way to make the best of the school year. Senior, Sakari Williams, remembers her senior year as eventful. 

“I think I can honestly say that my senior year was extremely exciting because so many fun things happened which I will cherish for the rest of my life,” said Williams. 

Some people say that junior year is the hardest and most stressful year of high school but some people think otherwise. Depending on the person and what their life was like in the past, some may have felt other school years were more difficult. Senior, Ericka Solis, recalls her freshman year being a handful. 

“I really wasn’t the type to say my junior year was stressful and hard but I think for me my freshman year was a mess. There was so much going on and I guess you could say I wasn’t too sure as to what I wanted to do yet,” said Solis. 

A lot of things can easily become a distraction for students and throw them off the road to staying focused on what matters. Distractions not only steer students away from school and extracurricular activities but can hurt their grades and career paths in the future. Senior, Mckenna Murray, wished she had stayed focused on what mattered most to her. 

“I remember my sophomore year like it was yesterday because it was a train wreck for me. I was going through a lot being in a relationship that distracted me from reaching my goals, but I changed that and realized that my grades and career mattered most to me,” said Murray.

Students however gain relationships with their teachers, over the four years they spend in high school, who often help impact who they are today. Teachers spend a lot of time helping their students to make sure they are learning what they need for their future. 

With important information and work being handed to you all year, any year in high school can be stressful being that you get work piled on you, and counselors stress college information to you to make sure you are caught up when you get to your senior year. Senior, Anna Delano, remembers her junior year being chaotic.

“I will say I think junior year was the hardest year for me only because there were always emails about my interest in different colleges. I had to look into them and narrow them down. I had to do a lot of things to make sure I was going to the right college for me,” said Delano. 

High school is something where people gain memories that last a lifetime and lessons they take with them into adulthood.