Right now, as I type this on May 6th, I have 8 more days left of being a senior in high school. I have 26 days left until my graduation day.

When it comes to writing and journalism, I feel like I’m always talking about being a senior and my struggles with that, as well as Covid-19, but I can’t help myself.

I worked so hard, from the age of 5 to the age of 18, in Prince George’s County Schools to be able to finally sigh and say “I’m done.” I can’t believe I’ve been in the school system since Pre-Kindergarten, all to not be able to get my final year of high school in school.

I would have laughed if someone had told me in March of 2020 about all the challenges I would face, all the struggles, frustration, heartbreak, and how humbled not only myself but the entire world, would be. I don’t know what I would’ve done or said.

I’m a strong believer in everything happening for a reason, but the saying always gets fuzzy to me. If everything happens for the greater good, how was Covid… a good thing? Don’t get me wrong, if it hadn’t been for Covid, I’d still be in a toxic relationship, living with my grandmother, and never meeting or ending up in some of the places I did. I lost friends, family (fortunately not to Covid), and even opportunities as a result of the virus, and I often wonder how different things would be if the virus had never existed.

Now, I can’t even imagine going outside or into a store or restaurant without a mask. I noticed how dirty and unsanitary life was before the virus and I’m thankful for how clean I make sure to keep my hands and surroundings.

I still remember my first day of 9th grade, being so excited and giddy about entering a new school with fresh faces and new opportunities. In my white polo and black slacks, I remember seeing all the seniors in their black polos, and my friends and I talked so much about how we couldn’t wait to wear black and be the best in the school. None of us had any clue that we’d never get to experience what that felt like, that we’d never get to get off the bus that first day of senior year in our black polos, let alone never experience an in-school senior year at all.

Although my senior year was stripped from me and my peers, I’m thankful for none of my family’s passing from Covid. I’m thankful for getting into my dream college, and for all the good and the bad that has happened from March 2020 to May 2021. I’m glad I’m still alive to be able to graduate. I owe it to myself, for all the struggles and all 13 years I’ve spent building up to this moment.

It’s bittersweet.

Sincerely,

A 2021 Graduate.