Dear Diary,

OMG, can you believe it? I’ve been out of school for four days now and here I am, still making updates to this senior reflection. Classic me, leaving everything to the last minute. But hey, procrastination builds character, right? At least that’s what I’m telling myself to justify my lack of planning skills.

So, let’s reflect on the past four years, shall we? It feels like just yesterday I was a wide-eyed freshman, lost in the labyrinth of hallways, trying to find my way to homeroom class without accidentally stumbling into some random senior classroom (true story by the way, they were scary). But, I eventually mastered the art of navigating those halls. Sort of.  I mean, I still ended up in the wrong classroom once in a while, but that just added some excitement to my otherwise mundane existence. The trick with Watkins Mill is that if you walk around the diamond you’ll eventually find your way. 

Oh, the memories!

Remember that time in sophomore year when we had that ridiculous pep rally? Yeah, neither do I. 🙂 

We never really had a sophomore year, Madam COVID made sure of it. I’m still not sure what happened between the years 2020-2021. The only piece of math I retained was something about six feet. 

That two-week break email that we received made me ecstatic, little did I know that my grand adventure would be reduced to a tiny square on a screen, surrounded by a chorus of muted microphones and frozen video feeds. Ah, the joys of virtual learning! 

Originally, it seemed like a dream come true. I could attend class in my pajamas, with a bowl of rice by my side and a bonnet on my head. Who needs textbooks when you can learn in the comfort of your own bed, right? Well, reality quickly burst my cozy bubble.

From dodgy internet connections to the constant struggle of finding the unmute button, my virtual journey was paved with technical difficulties and comedic mishaps. But the real struggle came with the loss of human connection. There were no more lunchtime gossip or hallway shenanigans. Instead, we were left to communicate through emojis and awkward virtual high-fives. It’s hard to replicate the feeling of camaraderie when you’re staring at a screen full of floating heads.

And then, there were the moments when I desperately needed help, but couldn’t raise my hand for assistance. I found myself resorting to waving at the camera like a maniac, hoping that someone would notice my virtual distress signal. It was like being stranded on a deserted island, except my island had Wi-Fi.

But amidst the sadness and frustration, there were moments of unexpected laughter. We bonded over shared Zoom mishaps and created our own inside jokes. During quarantine, I became a member of my school’s class council. Our Zoom/FaceTime calls were among some of the things that kept me sane. Through my class council team, I  learned to find humor in the absurdity of our virtual lives.

Flash forward to our junior year, the long-awaited return. I could finally put a face to all of those screens, life as I knew it was officially going back to “normal”.  But the return was odd, I still felt out of place. However, I most certainly preferred this over virtual hell. I went to football games, school dances, managed the basketball team, and even fell victim to mask fishing. During spring break, I traveled to Spain with some of my favorite people. I was extremely busy during junior year, but it was a year to remember.

Now winding down to my senior year, this last year has been very emotional. At the beginning of the year, I was very naive. I believed that this year would be the easiest of my high school career. After the whirlwind that was the past three years, I was ready for some normalcy. But I quickly saw that I was wrong, especially when we had to start applying to universities. I had very high expectations, but the process was really difficult. I was stressed with IB classes and things for college were a lot.

I even experienced the hardest quarter in my public school journey; the third quarter of senior year is one for the books. My motivation had crashed to an all-time low, my grades took a toll, and I genuinely didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Nonetheless, I somehow persevered and moved through my last quarter swiftly. Well as swift as it gets with my extremely booked schedule.

As I wrap up this whirlwind of a diary entry, I can’t help but feel a mix of nostalgia, relief, and a twinge of sadness. High school, with all its ups, downs, and sideways, is coming to an end. The future awaits, filled with new adventures and opportunities. But no matter where life takes me, I’ll always cherish the laughter, the friendships, and the crazy moments that made my high school journey unforgettable.

So long, Watkins Mill! Thanks for the memories, the laughs, and for teaching me that it’s okay to stumble and fall as long as you get back up somehow. And now, I must rush to hand in this diary entry before this reflection becomes a permanent memory of my procrastination habits.

Yours truly,

Sarah Bamba