One of the best ways to learn and grow as a person is to experience or listen secondhand to particular situations. Leaving high school can be almost as difficult as entering it, and future seniors need all the help they can get. Here are a few anonymous pieces of advice from experienced LHS seniors.

What is something that you’ve learned this year?

“Work hard every single day to avoid procrastinating and falling behind. Senioritis is so real and it takes a lot to avoid it, [so] be proactive! Get on top of it before high school, college, work, and other responsibilities begin to drown you.”

“Your plans will fluctuate! Be optimistic and prepared for change, don’t become too attached to a specific lifestyle or aspect of the future. Within the past year, practically everything about my plans for after high school have completely shifted.”

“Don’t put yourself in drama.”

“I’ve learned that sometimes things happen to you that you don’t have any control over, such as Covid-19. Even though these things/events happen, you should still try to make the best of your situation.”

“It’s okay not to have your entire life after high school planned out.”

“Life isn’t easy. Working two jobs, extracurriculars, keeping good grades, and getting started on your future isn’t a piece of cake, but most days it’s so worth it.” 

“Do not take your senior year for granted, you never know [when] a global pandemic may take it away from you!”

“Don’t get senioritis.”

“This year I’ve learned to stand up for myself and others more. When you’re young, it’s easy to feel like your voice doesn’t matter or deserve to be heard. This couldn’t be farther for the truth. Stand up for what you believe in, regardless of what others think. You are capable of making a change.”

What is something you wish you’d known going into this year?

“It [is] going to be a challenge every day to keep taking steps forward. My dad always tells me, ‘to eat an elephant you have to take one bite at a time.’ The truth of that would have been amazing to know going into my senior year.”

“[I wish I would have known] how bad covid would be, and how to take more advantage of the few things I did get.”

“I wish I would’ve known that applying for colleges and scholarships is really time consuming and is like having a second part time job.”

“Don’t take high school for granted. It comes and goes so fast and you never know when something could come and ruin it.”

“I wish I would’ve known how bittersweet it was going to be. Being a senior now is so crazy to me. On one hand I’m happy to be done with high school and be an adult and go out into the real world, but on the other hand it’s gonna be weird not being at school and seeing my friends everyday, going from class to class talking in the hallway.”

“Acting out and getting in trouble in high school doesn’t even hold many consequences, except soft punishments and stern talkings to.”

“Life would be changing at a rapid place at this point in my life.”

“The Flynn effect doesn’t quite work on high school students.”

“I wish I would have known that I wasn’t going to have the senior year I dreamed of. Obviously, my circumstances were heavily impacted by the pandemic, but I think knowing your expectations will never line up perfectly is applicable to any year. Allow your year to be different than you expected it to be, for better or worse, and try not to get caught up in comparing it with that image.”

What words of wisdom would you like to give to the class of ’22?

“Keep going. Don’t give up on yourself, your friends, your grades, or your life. Find ways to deal with one problem at a time to prevent the stress from breaking you down.”

“I know you’ve probably heard this hundreds of times, but life gets better after high school (for most people). I’ve lived so many of my days—especially in the past year— in anticipation for a life completely removed from my current one. Such a prospect has left me with hope that I owe the world to. You will get to be yourself, you will get to abandon the people you despise, you will get to live authentically and freely. Best of luck to you.”

“Don’t be a smart alec to your teachers, and turn in your homework on time.”

“Learn to become adaptable to new situations.”

“Just push yourself. Push yourself really hard to be [the] absolute best you [can] be.”

“Cherish what you have now; You could be living in the moment and fail to realize, don’t wait til it’s too late!”

“Live in the moment. Enjoy every bit of high school you have left. Make memories.”

“Don’t act like a freshman. Act like a senior.”

“It’s ok to not know what you want to do after high school. Take that gap year, change your major, go straight into a career that doesn’t require a degree. Do what makes you happy. Live for you, don’t live for your parents, your friends, or even society.”

“You will grow, and you will change as you make your way into the world. Don’t be afraid of this. It’s hard to let your childhood go, but you need to trust the person you’re becoming. Take your past with you, enjoy the present, and look forward toward your future.”

“Senior year goes by really quick, [one minute it’s] the first day of senior year, and the next it’s only a few days until you’re done with high school. And it’s more than fine if you don’t have a full plan for what you want to do after high school regarding college or the career path you want to pursue, not a lot of people do.”