Maud High School 2024 Senior Perspective
I am not a die-hard country music fan, but I do not mind it. In 2007, Carrie Underwood wrote a song called "So Small." In this song, it talks about how sometimes something that feels huge is actually so small in the grand scheme of things. High school is just that. Not only did I come from a small 2A school, but the four years I spent there flew by, and now, looking back, it is a small chapter in the vast life in front of me. I was involved in many extracurricular activities while taking dual credit courses. High school helped me learn how to adapt and be flexible, along with staying true to myself amid chaos. I learned many lessons that I will carry with me throughout life.
Freshman year was so different from the rest. We were still battling with Covid-19. Masks, zoom meetings, and quarantining if we were sick were still normal. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, I was still very excited to officially be in high school. This was the year of learning how to make things fun, even in the midst of difficulty. Sophomore year was not much different except that everything had started returning to "normal." However, this "normal" was not one I had ever seen before. This was the year that I established my friend group, actually got to dress up for a homecoming dance, and became a leader in my extracurriculars. I was the student council reporter, was inducted into the National Honor Society, and it was my second year going to state for powerlifting. I felt like I was living the high school dream. I had good friends, was super involved, and all the activities I missed out on freshman year were finally happening. I did not think high school could get any better.
It was in my junior year when the shift happened. Classes picked up and got more serious. I never let a class defeat me in the long run, but I remember many nights of crying because of silly essays and math homework that I was convinced I would never figure out on my own. I had picked up the title of Student Council President and class president all in the same year, which added a lot of stress. This was also the year when friendships started getting shaky. It was chaotic from the start of the year, but between November and February, it felt like my life had really begun to crumble. This sounds dramatic, but truly it was one thing after another. I had suffered from a terrible ankle injury in basketball that caused me to miss out on the rest of the season and powerlifting, which is something that I genuinely love. Watching my friends play and win games from the sideline was hard, but I held on to hope because I thought I had next year. I went through some heartbreak this year with friendships and relationships, and on top of all of this, I was so burnt out. Until this point, I placed all my worth in people, performance, and accomplishments until, eventually, I just could not perform any longer. It was at the end of my junior year that I realized I was looking for something horizontal that could only be found vertically. I was looking for a purpose. I felt my purpose was to be perfect, achieve greatness, and make everyone I cared for happy. Only after losing everything I once valued I truly found my worth. I came to understand that I was created for this moment, and God's plan for my life is far greater than anything I could have imagined. My life changed after I started focusing on the most important thing: my relationship with Jesus.
Going into senior year with a shifted mindset and living what felt like a whole new life was one of my hardest challenges. No one understood why I did not entertain certain things anymore or why I had even changed in the first place. From an outsider's view, my life looked pretty perfect, but many repairs needed to be done internally. Classes were challenging, but they were not anything I could not handle. I continued doing most of my extracurriculars, minus a few things that were not particularly my favorite. My plan was to give up volleyball and softball and still participate in cheer, student council, NHS, basketball, and powerlifting. Again, God had other plans. In the second quarter of the first basketball game of the season, I hurt my other ankle. This one, however, was way worse, and just like that, no more basketball. I had overcome that obstacle and made it all the way to state in powerlifting for the third time. This was my year. Until I bombed out of the meet on squat because of some ridiculous judging. This was the year I learned that everything truly does happen for a reason. While I was still very busy, I felt like I had a lot of free time compared to years past. This opened up opportunities for me to get more involved in my church, find new hobbies, and make friends outside of school. I eagerly counted down the days to graduation, but I wouldn't trade the challenges I faced in high school for anything.
My pastor once told me to never take any place for granted. We are placed exactly where we need to be, exactly when we need to be there. Looking back, I realize how true that is. I am who I am because of the experiences I've had. God really knows what he’s doing and although high school may seem so big, it truly is so small.
