Up until now, I haven’t truly felt like a senior.

I always thought when I became a senior, I would feel different. I thought I would feel older and more mature. I wasn’t quite sure how, but I just thought something would be different. I was under the impression that just because I was a senior, everything would be different.

When this year started, everything felt the same as last year. I didn’t feel like this year would be my last year at EHS.

About three weeks ago, Jostens came to school to talk to seniors about paying for their cap and gowns and general announcements about Graduation.

During the Jostens presentation people were saying how old they felt and how sad the presentation was, but I honestly didn’t feel anything. To me, the presentation seemed like any other assembly; giving information about when money had to be turned in and where to go if you had questions about the process.

A week later, I went to the Jostens table to turn in all my paperwork. They handed me an extra tassel that my mom had ordered.

I suddenly had a flashback to my freshman year. My sister was a senior and had a very similar tassel hanging in her review mirror. I always thought of my sister as so old and mature when she was a senior.

She could stay out late, drive around with her friends and go out on weeknights. I was a lowly freshman and had to get dropped off everywhere and usually be home before midnight. I couldn’t wait to have the freedoms my sister enjoyed.

Once I received those freedoms, I did not even think twice about them. I didn’t remember how I once was so desperate to feel that level of maturity.

When I recieved that tassel, I realized I was now “old and mature” and should be grateful for my new-found freedoms I gained.

I then remembered another moment. Last year, my friend Jake got his tassel he pinned in his hair. pretending the tassel was a hair extension. He would not stop flipping his “hair” all around. Although I couldn’t stop laughing, I also realized at that moment he would be leaving soon.

Holding my tassel in my hand made me realize that I am a senior now and my days at Eureka will soon be coming to a close. I now realize how precious every moment of high school is and am trying to take everything all in, before it’s too late.

I’m going to go to dress up and attend varsity basketball games as a Catpound member, enjoy seeing the boys represent in Mr. EHS and the talent of my classmates at the Variety Show and spend every weekend with all my friends watching movies and laughing at our inside jokes because I now realize it will all be gone in 158 days.