Rewind to about three weeks ago. I was so stressed out about writing my graduation poem that I was staying up all night reading work from my favorite poets, and spending every single free period I had meeting with teachers to get their input.

And not just one teacher. I had constant support from Ms. Lauer, Mr. Bellwoar, Ms. DesJardins, and Ms. Cheng.

The fact that the teachers of Niles West are willing to spend their free time with me, and are actually invested and concerned about the work that I’m putting out into the world is something extraordinary.

During AP Psych, Mr. Grossman is constantly coming up with little songs to remember our names and teaching us about classic music from back in the day; he always starts first period with a smile. Ms. Lauer builds relationships with her students that are genuine and will last a lifetime, she has impacted me more than anyone ever has. Mr. Klingenberger’s passion for film is evident every single day during 3rd period, and he does everything he can to try to get his students to see the beauty in cinema. Mr. Ali is constantly giving us motivational speeches during Calc, and Mr. Bellwoar doesn’t sugar-coat anything during creative writing. He is there to make us better writers, and he succeeds. Ms. Lichterman goes out of her way to bake us banana bread, give us vegetarian recipes, and help us see different perspectives while still listening to our perspectives with an open heart and mind. Ms. DesJardins does more than just teach us works of literature: she is eager to hear our interpretations, and allows us to express and explore ourselves in any way possible. Mr. Wack made us realize that meanwhile, the world goes on. And we don’t have to crawl on our knees, we just have to let the soft animal of our hearts love what they love.

College will — of course — be a grand adventure, but I will undoubtedly miss the personal relationships that I have made with the teachers here at Niles West, because they care. In college, we’ll be in lecture halls with 300 other other students where we are nothing more than a name on a piece of paper.

I’m excited for college.

I’m excited to not have to wake up at 7 a.m. every day and have to sit in a cold classroom for 7 hours. I’m excited to be able to go outside when I please, and not have to wait for a security guard to open the courtyard doors during lunch. I’m excited to not have to wait 15 minutes to get out of the school parking lot because of the traffic. I’m excited to move on to the next chapter of my life, but I will truly miss being a wolf.

I will truly miss not only the connections I have made with the teachers here at Niles West, but also the connections I have made with the students. I will miss having a voice through my columns. I will miss being in such a diverse and open environment that I have no fear of expressing myself. I will miss the sense of community I have here, and I will miss all of you. So, thank you for listening, for reading, for being a part of my journey, and good luck on wherever yours may take you.