Dear Senior,

We aren’t kids anymore.

Instead of chasing lightning bugs, we’re chasing scholarships. When we should be out with friends, we’re home studying. When it’s 1 A.M. and we should be asleep, we’re hitting our 3rd cup of coffee. “Welcome to senior year,” they said.

We didn’t know how it felt to be anything but tired, for some nights, we didn’t sleep at all.

We showed up to school more often than not in sweats, and it was glorious.

Senior year is about finding yourself. It’s about letting go of pieces of you, but never forgetting where they got you. It’s about debating whether you really need to go to 1st period or not because you really need those chicken nugs and if you don’t get them, you might die.

This is senior year.

Your last homecoming football game. The air is brisk, the atmosphere is euphoric, and everyone is in a great mood. You’re sitting front row in the student section, chanting, cheering, high-fives all around. Your face is painted, you’re wearing your letterman’s jacket, and you’re huddled with all of your friends, sharing body heat because the cold wind in sending shivers down your spine.

This is senior year.

Your last Christmas break spent with your “annoying” family. You thought those conversations were the bane of your existence, but soon, it’ll be: “how have you been?” and “what are you up to at *insert college name here*” and “I miss you.” You will regret all those nights spent locked away in your bedroom on Netflix with loved one’s steps away.

This is senior year.

Everything you’ve ever known.. Making late night runs to Wallman’s because you absolutely have to have Dean’s tea in the fridge, and you better do it tonight because you might not get out of your pajamas tomorrow, and that wasn’t a risk you were willing to take. Taking selfies with your dog. Going on walks down the trails because you need to clear your head. Cuddling with your cat and watching Netflix all day. The way your dad sits in his chair, or the way your mom looks when she comes home from work. Driving to your best friend’s house on a whim and going on a late night drive because you have to vent. Knowing your way around because you’ve lived here your whole life, and no matter how much you want to escape all the drama and stress, this is home. This is what you know.

This is senior year.

All the dress rehearsals, meetings, and senior meetings have brought you to this moment. It’s time to grow up. You’ve spent 13 years cultivating your wings, and now it’s time to fly.

This is senior year.

Graduation day: the last time you will talk to 90% of the people you know. Neighborhood friends, people who stayed up and cried with you, people who were always there. They are part of you. You’re not sure how you’re supposed to let them go, but you will.

This is senior year.

Life is starting, and you’re leaving a chapter of your life behind. You swear you remember turning 12 like it was yesterday, but now you’re 18 and you realize that it’s time to start living.

We were so ready to graduate, we forgot that graduation comes with college, and college comes with careers, and careers come with living.

So, before you rush into your cap and gown, remember: this is senior year.