As the school year comes to a close, we, as seniors, reflect on what has happened and what is to come. We think of the happiness, the sadness, the fun, the stress, and we are hopeful of the future although we sometimes worry about it. We remember the tears, whether they were tears of joy or of heartbreak.  But most of all, we remember the memories we gained and the lessons we learned.
Here are some lessons I have learned.
1) Be kind.
That’s it. You have to be kind. We are naïve to believe we could force an entire school to all be friends with each other, but that is not an excuse to be mean or to belittle others. We all have worth and we are all going to go good things. If we allow ourselves the ability to hate others from a young age, that will set us up for failure in the future.
2) Stop procrastinating and just study.
Yes, you’re exhausted. We all are. But if you get into bad study habits now, that will only make it harder to break them in the future. Create those good study habits now and you will be setting yourself up for success in the future. If you don’t have the motivation to do something, do it for 5 or 10 minutes and then see how you feel.
3) But feel free to take a break.
You don’t need to work for 4 hours straight. After an hour, take 10 minutes and get up and get a small snack, take a walk, stretch, or take a power nap. You’ll instantly feel so much better which will help you finish your work faster.
4) Be proud of others and their successes.
Just because you didn’t get the grade you wanted or weren’t selected for the position on the team doesn’t mean you have to ruin it for the person who did. It’s always okay to get upset initially, but in the end, we must be supportive of others or else they will always remember how you made them feel for finding their own success.
5) Don’t be afraid to try new things.
Unless those new things are bad. Then don’t do it. You’ll regret it. But try out for that team. Audition for that choir or dance team.  Just try. There is nothing wrong with trying. If you don’t make it, then at least you tried.