Embrace the present, look forward to the future

The start of a new year represents a clean slate, a blank canvas for you to paint and the potential for anything to happen. It brings the opportunity for change, success and new beginnings. The past is in the past, and here we are, moving full-force into the present and future.
For me, 2014 was a year of ups and downs. The challenges of junior year, standardized testing and the beginning of the college application processes were followed by the triumphs of the very first acceptance letters and personal achievements, including receiving the “Excellence in Journalism” Award from the Nassau Herald in June.
In 2015, I will be graduating from Hewlett High School during a much-anticipated ceremony. I will decide what college I will attend next fall. I will create memories with my fellow senior classmates. I will bid farewell to my life as Lauren Dana, high school student, and begin anew as Lauren Dana, prospective journalist studying at X University. I will get to do what I love, explore and “write” my own story as an individual. And it seems the same is true for my classmates.
“The new year brings new beginnings and new experiences. I will be going to college in the fall in a new place and I can’t wait to see what life has in store for me!” said senior Emma Davis.
Sarah Walder, also a senior, expressed similar sentiments. “I look forward to beginning a new life for myself, outside of high school and in college.”
While many, including myself, look ahead to what the future will bring and the new chapter that awaits, my resolution is to cherish every moment of what’s remaining of my senior year. I hope that when I’m older, I will be able to look back and smile at the memories, instead of dwelling at the stressful and darker times. Class of 2015, we have one more semester, so let’s strive to make it a great one.
I now pass this challenge onto you to make 2015 your greatest year yet, and of course, I wish that this year brings you nothing but happiness, good health and prosperity. I encourage you to welcome and embrace 2015 with open arms, and, as they say, “the sky is the limit!”