Sitting at my high school graduation I was filled with joy. Four years of my life was coming to a end and this was the culmination of it all. I couldn’t wait for the procession to be over in part due to the fact that we all crammed in a hot auditorium, but also because I wanted to finally begin the next chapter of my life. However as the final speeches were coming to a close, the words of my science teacher came to mind. “When you guys are at graduation”, he said ,”take a step back. Look around and really soak it in. This is the last time you will be will all 600 of your classmates.” I thought about how after this event, we would all be branching off on our own journeys. I would be heading to the city each day, others would be going out of state, and things would no longer be the same. We were leaving behind our childhood and transitioning into adulthood. I knew the exciting things we had in store of us and I was ready to get started with my future.