Every birthday, I normally think of what has happened in the past year. From 16 to 17, I thought of how I got my license. On my 18th birthday, I thought about how I went to Germany without my family for three weeks, started my senior year of high school, and committed to college at 16. As my 19th birthday is coming up, I am thinking of what has happened since turning 18. I have used my voice and voted, completed high school, begun college, and discovered more of who I am and what I want to do in the future
At eighteen, you are officially an adult. You are able to do things that you were not able to do. One of the most important things that turning 18 means is being able to vote. The past year, I was able to vote for the very first time. I have wanted to be able to vote since I was fourteen, so being able to vote for the first time was something I was very happy to do. Even though I did not vote in person, just knowing I was able to use my vote for what I believe was one of the most important parts of the last year.
One of the biggest things about the last year was completing high school and going to college. I am unable to see my best friends every day or even every month. During middle and high school, my best friend lived two minutes away from my house, and now she goes to college six hours away. Going from seeing her most days to now seeing her only on breaks is very weird to me. High school was one of my best/worst experiences. The best part of high school for me was my friends and teachers, who quickly became my favorites. The rest of the people in my high school were…questionable. I am glad that I graduated and completed the chapter of my life, but also sad that I can never be in the same classes as my best friends.
College is one of the life-changing events that most people go through at 18. I was so excited at first, and then after moving in, I dreaded coming back here when going home. One of the main reasons was due to my roommate at the time. She is one of the worst people I have ever met. Due to her, I was very drained mentally and did not socialize at all. Leading me to not have a social life and only being friends with my other suitemates and my now roommate. I do enjoy college, though, but not in a social way. Since the middle of high school, I have been a very academically driven student, which has not stopped being true in college. I have also made a few friends during my first year and adore my friendships with them a lot.Â
Even though the past year has been one of the hardest years of my life, I have discovered a lot about myself. For instance, I have found what I want to do in the future, a school counselor. I have learned time management skills. One of the most helpful things I have learned is how to better handle my anxiety by doing activities I find enjoyable, such as reading, listening to music, or even thinking about why I feel anxious.
Overall, I have been through so much, but I have learned many lessons due to the year I have had. I enjoyed my year and would not do anything differently. Even if I struggled heavily at the beginning, I still learned how to handle my anxiety and not let people who do not matter make me anxious. I have grown a lot as a person over the year, even if others do not see it, I know it.