As my 12 years of secondary school draws to a close I can honestly say I have filled my time with as much excitement and achievement as I could’ve ever wished for.

From NHS to Who’s Who, I have achieved my goals. I participated in some 60 odd theatre productions for the STC and the AISD Performing Arts Center. I have even worked two after school jobs. However, the most influential group I had the honor of being a part of was newspaper.

I have thoroughly treasured my time as a member of the Lone Star Dispatch, and I’m sad to see it come to a close. Over the years I have had a hand in producing 36 issues of the paper. That’s countless stories, graphic art, and hours spent in the name of servicing a community I have grown so fond of.

The organizations that Bowie offers are unlike any other and from the experience I have gained in being a part of just a few of them I have decided my future. I will be pursuing a career in communications at Saint Edward’s University starting in the fall and I would have never realized this dream without the newspaper program.

Becoming an editor-in-chief my junior year was simultaneously the proudest and most terrifying moment in my high school career. I was incredibly eager to take on the challenge, yet with everything else I had going on I was so afraid of not being able to do the job to the best of my ability.

However, the most important thing I’ve learned in my time at Bowie is that you can’t be perfect at everything, you can’t please everyone, and that’s ok. I wanted to be the perfect head technician for theatre, another role I took on junior year, I wanted to be the perfect student, the perfect daughter for my parents, the perfect friend, etc. It’s impossible to be perfect in every position and every role you take on, but giving 100 percent in each moment that you’re involved in those things is simply a challenge, not an impossibility.

I believe that this school has shaped me like no other school could have and while I am admittedly nervous I feel completely ready for my life beyond Bowie’s red gates. I am immensely thankful for the friends I have made, the lessons I have learned, and the opportunities I was given.

I’d like to thank my advisor, Mr. Reeves for challenging me, my theatre directors for inspiring me, my many wonderfully talented and dedicated teachers who have nurtured my love of learning, and of course every single person who ever smiled at me in the hallway or asked me how I was doing.

There is a lot to learn from the simple interactions with those around you and I like to believe that I took my time to enjoy the small, common moments as well as the exciting, life changing ones. I will look back on my time as a part of the Dispatch staff, and my time at Bowie high school as a whole, with a bittersweet smile. While I know there are many wonderful and life changing events to experience, these quiet nights spent crafting stories and finding inspiration for new graphic art will always be highlight in my drifting childhood.