As the year comes to an end, I would like to reflect back on some of my high school experience as I say goodbye to many of my friends, teachers and the school where I made memories that I will cherish forever. In my 17 years, I moved between three countries, and I have said lots of goodbyes. But, I never get used to the feeling. It never feels real at the moment that you might never see them again, but you just deal with the emotions as the time goes by. One thing, though, that I won’t be saying goodbye to for at least four more years is art. 

Art 

My life wouldn’t be complete without art. I have been doing art for over 10 years now, and it has helped shape my character. Although I enjoy art the most, there have been

times when I wasn’t motivated at all to create art. I took breaks for weeks or even months, and I honestly felt like it only grew my passion for art. The most stressful period of time I spent doing art was working on my college portfolio, because you can’t just make something you like – you have to make something that the admission officers would want to see. By the time I was done with my college portfolio, I wasn’t motivated to finish my AP 2D Design portfolio. Thank you to Mrs. Seay who not only helped me push through until the end, but has been my inspiration since the day I moved into her class.

This fall, I plan to study graphic design and explore other areas of art at School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

ENO 

I wouldn’t be writing this article if I hadn’t decided to experiment with computer art my junior year. The Graphic Design II class that I decided to take was led by the newspaper adviser, Lisa Roskens. The newspaper class was also in the same class period as my graphic design class, which allowed me to see what they do for the school and what the process of publishing articles is. My first publication was a graphic illustration for a column, which started my journey as an ENO graphic designer.

I have only been on ENO for two years, but I am so grateful for the opportunities I have had this year: taking photos at different events, writing articles about the topics that I like, creating graphics and competing. My favorite thing about ENO is that everyone on the staff really cares about what we present to our readers. I have seen clubs where members do not put enough effort into the club, but ENO is different – no matter the role they have, each individual really cares about what we achieve as a team. Thank you to Mrs. Roskens for encouraging me to join this amazing team, and for helping me accomplish many things through ENO.

Soccer

This year I was part of the varsity men’s soccer team as the head manager. It was awkward at first, but I enjoyed my job and watching every game. At the last playoff game, watching everyone work together until the last minute was very emotional to me, the seniors and everyone on the stands. The game did not end the way we had hoped, but I am glad I got to be part of the team this season. Another memory I love was at the banquet, when they surprised me with flowers, a soccer ball signed by everyone on the team and a framed team photo – written “a thank you from us to the best manager that we could have ever hoped for.” Although going to every practice and game has been tiring at times, I definitely do not regret taking this job, and I am glad to have met everyone through this experience.

Farewell

When I was an underclassman, I couldn’t wait to graduate from high school. But, now that graduation is only a few weeks away, it is quite sad to think that I won’t be here next year. However, I am excited to see where this newspaper could go next year.

Last, I would like to leave you with my favorite quote. “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard” – Winnie the Pooh.

Thank you, and goodbye,

Julia