With my final days of high school fast approaching, a wave of nostalgia also grows. Seniors know this feeling. We’re sending off our commitments to colleges all across the country, and at some point everyone realizes the place he or she is leaving. I don’t think enough tributes have been paid to where they’re due in my high school career, and I would like to take the time to do that.

Thank you to my closest friends – those who have been for me all four years, you know who you are. We’ll be separated by thousands of miles in five months, which is saddening, but I know it’s time to tackle new adventures. You are the ones who have helped me make it here. You’ve kept me on track, but you all know that. Thank you. I’m proud of all of you.

And thank you to those with whom I’m not as close, but have still passed through these halls with me since even before high school. You’ve all been a part of the experience. Some I knew better than others, who’ve talked and laughed with me in classes, lamented over the same tests, or participated in the same clubs. And those others I know names of, I’ve watched grow and still learned from them.

Thank you to my teachers. This should be obvious, but not stated often enough. I’ve been lucky to call some of the best faculty in the school my teachers. There are a few who have had to dealt with me for more than a year and have loyally supported me for all of them. You few have been the teachers to write for me for college, who I’ve trusted to know me best, or to impact me with an idea of what it means to be a great teacher. Here’s my shout-out to Mr. Hoit, Mrs. Steinke, Ms. Laslo, Ms. Sultze, Mrs. Wilson, Mr. Gorr, Ms. Austgen, and Mr. Porter.

Thank you to the little things, like the “Sine, Cosine, Cosine, Sine” song (Calc kids know what I’m talking about), or the funny, personal anecdotes I’m hearing for the second time as a TA for AP US History. Looking back, I begin to realize how some of the smaller details made school enjoyable – the walks and strange lessons about edible weeds in Honors Biology, the oddly-proverbial stories about “the evil ex-boyfriend,” or watching Tom Cruise die and return to his body in Far and Away (because it relates to the 1920s, of course). Don’t let these go for granted.

And a final thanks to Colorado. I thought I wanted to escape, but how wrong I was. Thanks to Pikes Peak and snowcapped mountains. Thanks to the bright sun, no matter the season, and moody weather. Thanks to the fresh, dry air and amazing water. Thanks to Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs and our other tourist traps. Thanks to Crested Butte and some of the most beautiful scenery in the nation. Because of these, I found a love for my state. I know where I’m supposed to be, and although I’m concluding four years of memories, I’ll be opening new ones in Boulder.

And hopefully, it will compare.