Well. I still can’t believe I’m writing this because it doesn’t feel real that I’m graduating high school in the next few days. As soon as I walked through those doors freshman year, I was ready to graduate and leave. Here I am, sitting here writing this on one of my last few days in this high school, and I wouldn’t mind staying and turning back the clock. It’s so surreal to me how in a blink of an eye, the last four years went by, especially with one of them being online. 

In looking back on the past four years, I am filled with an immense amount of delight, appreciation, and excitement. If you told freshman year me that this is where I would be, I wouldn’t have believed you: being one of the Editor-in-Chief of The Dispatch was something that I had never expected to become. I can still remember walking into the newspaper room at the end of my freshman year with my two best friends (shoutout to Sammie and Anna), not knowing the impact that this room and the people in it would have on my life. The comfort of the fairy blankets on the leather couches, Flannery’s playlist playing on repeat, the fairy lights always on, and a jar full of protein bars can never be replaced. It was this place where I began writing for things other than my diary. The joy I felt when I saw my name in bold letters above ‘Dispatch Reporter’ is unexplainable. With this story, my love for coming up with an idea, finding sources, and writing a story that others would read led me to explore the world of journalism. 

I have had the incredible opportunity to meet new people who have helped me along the way in each of the last four years. Here are the few people I would like to thank:

To my family: There are plenty of things I could thank you for, but I could never be able to write them all down. Thank you for always giving me unconditional love and for always supporting me and my endeavors. Thank you for instilling me with a strong passion for learning, pushing me to do the best that I can, and supporting me through every accomplishment, big and small. From the many events and activities that we all do, we all find time to squeeze in a celebratory dinner or a family movie night and I could not ask for anything better. I love you guys and will only be 20 minutes away from home next year:) 

To all my teachers: I want to thank the entire Bowie community for fostering a motivating and engaging learning environment. Specifically, I will be forever grateful for all of the incredible teachers I have had the honor of learning under during my time at Bowie, and the constant support and encouragement they showed me. You have all impacted me in different ways and have pushed me to become a better person and by doing so I leave high school a better person than I entered. For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

To the Dispatch leadership team: Guys we did it. While we all had some uncertainties about how this year was going to go, I could not have asked for a better team to lead the publication with. From our very first awkward interaction at Starbucks, sharing a hotel room where I slept on the stolen mattress from Reeves’s room, sitting on the couch being nosy about the smallest things, to waiting for Sammie to show up for 15 minutes for the group photo, these have been some of the best memories of this year. I’m so excited to see what else you guys are going to accomplish in the years to come:)

To Reeves: While I’ve been involved in a lot in high school, the lessons that I’ve learned being on staff for the last three years have taught me so much both about the world of journalism and the world around it as well. This program has had an insanely big impact on me and I’m so thankful to have been a part of it. Thank you for giving sophomore year me, who didn’t talk as much as I do now, didn’t know the difference between a semicolon and a colon (I swear I do now), and spelled a lot of words wrong (sustainability is a hard word!!), a chance on helping you run this amazing program. You believed in me and it allowed me to believe in myself. From constantly stocking up the candy jar with candy (and protein bars now I guess), dealing with us stealing your mattress in Philly, and giving us important pep talks when needed, you have truly made an impact on me and I’m forever grateful for it all. This program wouldn’t be as amazing as it is without everything that you do for it. I promise I won’t forget you and you better not forget me, your favorite Google Forms maker.

To the rest of the Dispatch staff: Your hard work and dedication are so inspiring and I’m in awe of everything that gets produced in room F203. There are no words to adequately express how much I appreciate all the work you have done (and will continue to do) for the paper. Your contribution to the paper, especially this year, means so much to me. I’m so excited to see what the next year will bring for you guys and how you’ll turn the paper into your own creation. You guys are going to do amazing and if you ever need help with a Google Form you always have my number:)

Next fall, I will be attending the University of Texas, Austin, and will be majoring in Computer Science. I’m so excited to see what else the future holds for me. James Bowie High School, thank you so much for everything. I will eternally remember the memories made in those four walls. 

Sincerely,

Arushi Sharma