Dear Verrado,
My time at Verrado was very surprising. I never would have imagined that I would have been as successful and involved as I have become in my senior year.
When I first moved to Arizona the summer before my sophomore year, I thought the rest of my high school would be a waste. I had moved away from the town I had grown up in and the friends I had gone to school with for my whole life. I thought I would never find close friends again, have fun, and be known again.
But I am happy to say, I was wrong!
My sophomore year was hard. I struggled with the constant change around me. I was forced to find my love for school again because that was all I had. Slowly throughout that year, I began to find friends and outlets for my creativity. I got involved in theatre and was the lead in the fall play. I found a love for writing in my journalism class and quickly was able to prove myself and rise in the ranks to become an editor. By the end of my sophomore year, things began to look up. I was finding people that I truly connected with who were becoming my friends, excelling in school, and getting involved in my new community. Although I still really missed Texas, my life in Arizona was getting better and more bearable.
Going into my junior year, I felt some knowledge. I finally had friends in my classes and I held leadership positions in Journalism and Theatre. It felt so good to not have to start over from ground zero like I did at the beginning of my sophomore year. Throughout my junior year, I excelled. I found a close group of friends that made me look forward to going to school again, and I began making an impact on the school, particularly through the school paper. I took the struggling Viper Times and turned it into an award-winning paper that publishes important and newsworthy content. I also dived further into my academics, taking 4 AP classes, and I was able to connect with my teachers and grow in my love for learning.
Going into my senior year I knew things were going to be a little different. My pool of friends was suddenly cut in half, and I quickly learned that I knew more people in the grade above me than I did even in my grade. I guess that is what being a year ahead in English and several years ahead in math gets you! I also had to learn how to juggle all of my many college applications with being Editor-In-Chief of the paper, Vice President of the Theatre Club, and a member of Senior to Senior. I found myself always going to different events. While they were mostly fun events, it made it hard to juggle all of my makeup work. Although it was hard to juggle everything and not feel constantly stressed, I still had fun my senior year eating lunch with my friends and connecting with my teachers.
Going into my next chapter, I will never forget the valuable lessons Verrado High School taught me about myself. I never would have imagined I would be number one in my class, winning nationally recognized journalism awards, or be able to rebuild my whole social life from ground zero to a point where I am grateful to have moved away from Texas. Even though I am going back to Texas for college, I go back with a new deeper understanding of myself and the people I want to be around. I am ready to move on and become the best journalist and person I can be in my next chapter.
Editor-In-Chief Signing Off,
Gabby Comer
