Letter From A Senior
October 12, 2020
As a current senior, when I look all the way back to freshman year, I can’t believe how quickly my time at Marymount has flown by. I remember when I started as a freshman and how I felt then; I felt like the seniors were so much older than me, but now that I am a senior, I don’t feel as old as I thought I was going to. Of course, there is no key to success at any high school or specifically at Marymount, but here are a few things to keep in mind that might help along the way.
Firstly, always keep an open mind. From the first day of freshman year to the last day of senior year, you are never finished forming new relationships and connections, developing new passions and skills, finding new interests, or having new experiences. Some of my very best friends at Marymount today were strangers to me until we took a specific class together or shared an experience as upperclassmen that bound us together. I was very lucky in the sense that despite having a close-knit friend group, I have always been excited to talk to new people and make new friends, and I think that it has really served me well. Everywhere you turn, every club you join, every extracurricular you participate in, etc., you will find a new person or new group of people who might one day mean everything to you.
Secondly, everyone is in this together. It’s no secret that Marymount is a challenging school, and there have been times throughout the last 3 years where I felt as though I was struggling alone. Each time, however, I realized that it could not be farther from the truth. I was afraid to ask questions, but I noticed that when I did, everyone in the class benefited from it too because we were all in the same boat. There will always be someone willing to struggle with you, help you, or advocate for you.
Thirdly, and this goes along with my second point, don’t be afraid to speak up! When starting a new class with lots of new faces, I used to be afraid to participate for fear that I would be wrong and embarrass myself. It took being wrong a few times for me to realize that no one would judge me either way. Making mistakes is okay! It is a perfectly normal part of the learning process, and everyone goes through it. In my junior year history class, for example, I was afraid to raise my hand for the first month or so, even though I had a lot of good contributions to make. As soon as I realized that my classmates were there to support me and not to judge me, I started participating every chance I got, regardless of if I thought it was wrong, and that class very quickly became my favorite class I have ever taken. The moral of the story is, no one is going to be as critical of you as you yourself are, and you should never be afraid to speak your mind and contribute.
