By: Lauren Pace
It was the last day of my eighth grade career, and my mom was waiting in the pick-up line with a U-Haul trailer. I was leaving every single person I knew to come to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, because of my dad’s new promotion. Needless to say, I cried myself to sleep on the drive here.
Although my feelings towards leaving the good ole’ state of Texas were quite bitter, I also decided to make the best of this new start. I met some people from my church which helped me get to know a handful of people before going to school, but honestly, what helped me transition the most was attending Oak Grove’s Band Camp. Yes, I will admit, I was in band, which is not a bad thing at all. I was first chair, followed by Dalton Coleman (who was afraid to challenge me). I adapted well with all of the students in high school, and my freshman year was one that I will never forget.
It feels like it was yesterday that I was first walking through the doors of Oak Grove. Now, almost two weeks before graduation, it will be hard to leave this place. Although I have a serious case of senioritis, I will still miss coming to class and being with all of my friends.
I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some advice I have learned throughout high school. First, make as many friends as possible, and don’t get into a certain click. It is good to have your close friends, but it also helps to be friends with everyone. Next, it is okay if it seems like teachers don’t like you. Chances are, they do like you; but they probably just don’t like your work ethic. My last bit of advice is to enjoy every waking moment of high school. Once you get to this point in your life, you will look back and hopefully reminisce on all of the amazing times you have had in high school. These are the years of your life, and you should live with no regrets. So I leave all of you with the inspiring words from my mother, “live it up, baby!”
