My entire life, high school has felt like this looming and important part of my life. It really intimidated me but I was really excited to experience that part of my life. Now that I’ve done it I feel a sense of relief and accomplishment. High school has been a journey and has had many different challenges but I am so thankful for everything these years have taught me. 

Joining the J-1 class freshman year was the best decision I’ve ever made. I met four incredible people who I hope will be a part of my life forever. I fell in love with the art of journalism and the whole newspaper process because of this program and for that I will be eternally grateful for.

To leadership: There is truly no way I could have done this year without ya’ll. One of my faveorite parts of this team is that we are all truly there for each other and I’ve loved being friends with yall so much!! From going to lunch each day to running around San Francisco together, there is no one else I would rather do all those crazy things with. Lucille: you are such a light in my life and getting to know you and becoming closer friends has been such a joy. I know you will go on to do such incredible things with your life and I am so proud to call you my friend. Isabella: you are one of the most creative and talented people I know. You never fail to amaze me with your incredible ideas and super cool brain. You know how to make me laugh until I cry and see the world in a different way. I adore you with all my heart and being your friend all these years has brought me so much joy. And finally Dimitri:….. I know I act like I hate you but you’re actually pretty cool. You always have really good advice and you’ve helped us so much this year. I hope one day we can tolerate each other! Slay Short king!! 

To my Friends: I love all of you so much!!! Yall are truly like family to me and saying goodbye makes me so sad but I know all of you will do such incredible things in your lives. A lot of you I’ve known since elementary school and I can’t believe we made it to graduation!! Every single one of you has changed my life in such a wonderful way and I will forever be thankful for the things you’ve taught me. Life wouldn’t be the same without you!

To my teachers: Learning and education has always fascinated me and I’ve secretly always loved school. You are the glue and the things I’ve learned from you have shaped the way I see the world. I am so thankful for all of you and the wonderful things you’ve taught me. To Ms. Reyes, words can not explain how thankful I am for being a part of your class. You taught me about how incredible teaching is and you’ve helped me so much through some of the most difficult parts of my life. To Mr. Reeves, I would not be pursuing a journalistic career without you and your teaching. You taught me about the incredible world of journalism and for that I will always be grateful. Thank you for your patience and thoughtfulness all these years. To Ms. Weidmeyer, you are truly a light at this school and you make me feel like I can do anything if I just put my mind to it. Thank you for the many smiles and giggles. And to all my elementary and middle school teachers that mean so much to me. To Ms. Davis, your passion for biology is truly inspiring and I absolutely adore hearing all your stories. You are such a sweet person and learning from you has been a joy.n Thank you Ms. Allevato, Dr. Pena, Ms. Lentz, Ms. Reeves, and all my other elementary and middle school teachers that mean so much to me. You are such incredible people and I can never thank you enough for your time and teaching. 

To my family: Thank you for listening, for supporting, for helping, for everything. We may be small and the animals may outnumber us but I love you so much. Thank you for your love and for your trust. To my extended family, I adore all of you so much! Thank you for the years and years of love and memories.