Coming to Carroll as the only person from my grade school, along with not knowing really anyone at Carroll, a lot of fear came into play. I was wondering what my peers thought about me, how I can make the right first impression, and if I even wanted to stay at Carroll.

That’s when the first day of Carroll girls soccer started and I met my first friend at Carroll, Sumayyah Watson. As soon as I met Sumayyah, I knew that she would be my “forever friend” at Carroll. We went from meeting at practice together to carpooling, to grabbing lunch, to getting stuck at the Bryn Mawr train station.

After meeting her, I then met my first friend group, the Carroll girls soccer team. Following having Day One, going to sports events and meeting much more people, that’s when my mind was at ease and I knew my years at Carroll were going to be full of opportunity.

Moving onto sophomore year, this was the year that tested my limits, from having family altercations, almost wanting to quit soccer, hanging around the wrong crowd, and much more. Spending most of my afternoons in detention, that’s when I was able to build a relationship with Mrs. Bourgeois, Mrs. Volpe, and Mrs. Buchanan. They always saw me and their friendly encounters were the words: “Ugh you AGAIN?”

It wasn’t until I had talked to them one day after detention and they told me that I am better than what I was doing. That day made me realize that my attitude when it came to school needed to change. I became more active within my school community that year and I started focusing more on my grades than my social life. This year helped me a lot because not only did I grow as a student but I grew as a person.

My peers and staff over the years of my sophomore and junior year have made an everlasting impact on my life, from Father Mark giving me friendly advice, Mrs. Glow giving me prep talks my sophomore year during the third period, to becoming closer with alumni and classmates to the point I consider them family. If it wasn’t for that day of sophomore year, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

Junior year was full of excitement. I was thinking to myself: “Wow. Only one more year. Let’s make the best out of it.” I was thinking about junior prom, junior ring Mass, and all the sentimental things leading up to my senior year. In mid-March, everything was taken away from me. I went from thinking we only had two weeks of virtual school, to losing the rest of our Junior year. Junior year made me realize that we shouldn’t take the time we have with others for granted because we don’t know when it will be taken away. From complaining about having to go to school to miss seeing everyone on a day-to-day basis, junior year made me realize that if we went back to school, I have to make the best out of my senior year.

Being able to see my peers (well, at least half of them) senior year was more than what I can ask for. Being able to see my peers (well, at least half of them) senior year was more than what I could ask for, and also to have a killer senior soccer season, to be part of a play (who would’ve thought?), and now to inch toward the days of graduation. It’s crazy how they say time flies when it comes to high school, but it’s true.

Looking back at my four years of high school, some advice I would tell my freshman year self would be you make what you put into it. Take risks because you never know what’s going to happen next.