That's It, Then.

Well, I have graduated. Many thanks to all the wonderful people who came, and also a thousand congratulations to my peers who graduated today!

Here I am all decked out and ready to go with all my cords and medals and stoles! 

Walking up to the stage. 

Graduating today was a strange experience. On one hand, I was nervous that I would speak too quickly, trip on the stairs, or fall because my gown belonged to my brother and was waaaaay too long for me. But on the other hand, it didn't feel like a big deal. It felt like a bigger deal when my brother graduated, but actually being down there made it seem somehow less momentous. I still have yet to realize that I will never go to Denton High School again as a student, that I may never see most of these people again, that I will never again go to Mr. Milne's class (aaah!) or Madame Webb's class or Mrs. Seeley's class or theatre. There are things, and people, I will miss, but this is definitely a step forward in my life, although excitement is something I'm not really getting right now either. 

But that will come, I suppose. Right now I just want to enjoy my friends as much as possible before we split off forever (which is turning out to be a lot harder than anticipated) and prepare myself for the future. UNT here I come! Whooo!

Tying Up Loose Ends

Today I have to go up to the school for the last time--truly the last time--just to tie up some loose ends before moving on. I have a theatre meeting, graduation practice, and some certificates/cords to pick up for graduation. 

I'm still not sure if I'm going to miss it. Hm. 

I feel like theatre, I won't miss for a while. It's bee such work this year, with so little fun in return. I could still do endless amounts of work over the next three days and not be done to get the new officers on track, but you know what? I'm not going to. I have faith in their ability to learn and shape our department, with or without the guidance they deserve. They will do phenomenally, and I am relieved that I can leave it to them.  

What has this experience taught me? That hard work is not always repaid, that some people truly have no concept of responsibility, and that it often sucks to be the person everyone turns to to get work done. But I have also learned that it is possible to be teenagers without being immature and dramatic, that there is such a thing as a family of friends, that relationships are probably the most important thing. And I have met so many amazing people this way, people I will never forget nor stop loving with all my heart. 

Whatever else this theatre department has been to me, I will always remember it as a place of friendship.