The end of senior year is so surreal to me it is hard to put into words. Despite all of the clichés about it being the end of a chapter and a brand new beginning, it can be difficult to think of it that way in the moment. Describing the entire year would be impossible for me, but I can definitely describe the last few weeks using a slightly pretentious metaphor or two.
At my last high school band concert, after I had played and was now watching the orchestras and choirs perform, I remember seeing a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. It was far too high and out of the way for almost anyone in the audience to notice it, but I could make it out from where I was sitting. It slowly drifted back and forth, reflecting light as disco balls do. But as it slightly spun, sometimes a single square would catch a red light. It took a second for me to realize that that red light was from the exit sign of the balcony.
The end of senior year has reminded me of that disco ball: AP tests, prom, academic banquets and senior events shining throughout it, but with that little exit sign as a reminder that it is time to leave this stage in my life. Every step I take through the fanfare brings me to the liminal space between leaving that theater and actually moving on to the next performance.
The light making my senior year disco ball shimmer was Stargazer. Leading this club was the capstone of my senior year, and it surpassed all of my expectations.
I still can not tell you why I wanted to join it so much during my sophomore year; I had never been interested in journalism and once I had joined the club I did not exactly jump onto the opportunity to write articles. But after I was handed a flyer for the club, I just felt like I needed to be a part of it.
That strange little feeling set a course for the rest of my high school career and my life.
Despite my initial apprehension, after only a few months of Stargazer I knew that I wanted to do big things with the club. I loved the opportunity to connect with people from across the school and tell their stories through articles, photos and video packages. I loved the creativity and hard work it took to get everything done. Most of all, I loved the opportunity to connect with other student journalists.
It has been something I could look forward to every Monday. It has been somewhere where I could express myself and connect with others. It has been my community and my home at North.
Stargazer and the amazing people I have met through it convinced me to become a journalist so I could continue to highlight the people, events, and ideas around me.
By the time this column is published, all of the lights in the theater will have gone out, with only the exit sign still reflecting off of the disco ball. I have left North and I am off to pursue a career in journalism.
