Everyone is scared of something. Most people are scared of spiders, clowns, small spaces and those are considered “normal” to be afraid of. I, however, am scared of something that most would find quite amazing. I find it repulsive, something that I want to run away from. I am scared of something that is inevitable to most high school students: graduation. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sure high school will be the best four years of my life, as I have had my ups and downs at LHS. But the people I have met at LHS, faculty and students, are unmatched. Yes, I do know that it is 2019, and I am just a mere junior, but the fact is that I have had this fear since the beginning of freshman year. It is hard for me to think about leaving high school and the fact that I will never see some of these people again. Hearing teachers’ last statements at the end of the school year goes from “have a great summer” to “have a great life.” I can’t imagine life past the walls of LHS and learning in a whole different atmosphere. I never realized how much pride I have for LHS until it registered that I will be leaving in a year. 

Maybe it’s not that I am not scared of graduation, but the reality of being independent. The fear of graduation is a way for me to cope with the idea of not being able to go home to my family or to scream at the top of my lungs with my friends in car rides around town. The harsh truths of growing up have hit me. Seniors will soon be saying their goodbyes and their promises of returning every summer will soon turn into excuses for them not to be able to come home. I just cannot imagine the reality of having a life past my friends and family, a life where I am on my own in a new city with new people. Sioux Falls is a town where comfort can be found anywhere you go and the community in LHS is no different, a home away from home. 

The fact is, everyone is scared of something. Graduation is considered a universal “moving on.” It’s a way for high schoolers to look over memories they have made from the beginning of their childhood, and I am scared of leaving those memories and people behind. I am scared to graduate. I am scared to be alone. The reality of the future will soon catch up to me, and I hope that I will be ready. Hopefully, I will be ready for the adventures that lie ahead of me. If I’m not, at least I will always know that I have people in Sioux Falls to help me along the way.