The ringing of the bell lingers in my ear, adrenaline rushing all throughout my body, overwhelmed with feelings of nervousness, fear and excitement. I get up and head towards the door and look back at the glass doors closing shut, knowing that this may be the last time I step foot here. I walk away with my friends as we bid farewell to four years of blood, sweat and tears, four years of working towards our hopes and dreams, four years of walking down the hallway crossing paths with our favorite teachers and staff members and four years that shaped us all into the people we are today. That is how I pictured my last day of high school, filled with teary goodbyes and hundreds of memories. However, I sit here in my room overlooking the city of Beirut, staring into my laptop’s screen on my last day of senior year, wondering how it would feel to be outside these four walls.

I left my high school in Beirut during my junior year, in the midst of its crashing economy and failing education system. I stepped into Bowie’s halls where I was met with new opportunities and wider horizons than before. Even though it was short lived, Bowie High School has engraved me with qualities, such as determination, independence and perseverance, that I will take on with me throughout my life.

To my parents, thank you for always showing me the right path and reminding me that things always work out in the end. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be half the person I am today. I aspire to be as smart, creative and selfless as you both. I am eternally grateful to have such exemplary people to look up to and learn from.

To the Dispatch staff, thank you for taking me in and making me feel welcomed. Moving across the globe halfway through high school was an experience that had a huge impact on me, however having a place like Bowie that was so accepting and caring helped me push through and focus on bigger and brighter things.

To Mr. Reeves, becoming a journalist was always a dream I had that never seemed real, but ever since walking into your classroom, I felt like I was in a place where my talent was something I could expand on. Not only do all your classes improve my abilities as a writer, but they also teach me lessons about myself and how to translate my thoughts into words. So thank you for pushing me to aim for bigger everyday and showing me what it means to be a writer.

Four years, gone with a blink of an eye. Despite having to say goodbye to the past years, I am welcomed with four more years of growing and learning in new ways, as a person and as a writer. High school will always be a time in my life I can look back on and be thankful for the memories and relationships that have formed.