Pre Senior Year Thoughts

I'm starting to draft this on Monday, Eclipse day, also two days before my first day of my senior year of high school which is this Wednesday. I spent a lot of the day Sunday stalking USC - Aiken's social media because it was move in day for them. I've almost completely decided that the University of South Carolina - Aiken is hands down the right school for me, and I've already planned another visit to the school for their September open house. I kept imagining myself this time next year on campus, moving everything right on in! To say I'm excited is a bit of an understatement... Anyways, on Friday I shared some general reflections I had following my Junior year of high school, and as this school year is starting on up... I have a few thoughts about it as well. 

As far as course loads go, this year is a dream. I'm a prospective communications major so I wanted to really take this last year and really focus on classes that go along with my interests and well, communications! This year I'm taking AP literature and AP Spanish (prayers, please for Spanish.. I haven't really done much practicing lately) and also as current editor of the yearbook, I can work on more digital and visual communications as well. In addition to those classes, I'm taking Environmental science, Algebra 3, and Personal Finance (which is also taught by my yearbook adviser!). This course load is so much lighter than what I'm used to. Over the Summer I got my government and economic classes out of the way thus freeing my schedule up for -wait for it- MORNING SENIOR STUDY HALLS both a days and b days! What a blessing! 

The light course load is sure to help me out when there's peak seasons in senior portrait bookings. It's also going to be nice when we get closer to crunch time in yearbook, as well as when I get back into applying for scholarships. 

In previous high school years I often get distracted with class work and family things that I would skip on a lot of sporting events that others deem crucial to a high school experience. This year the home games will be my primary focus. I have this love for the reactions of people in the stands, be they parents, friends, teachers, siblings... and I really want to make it my priority to capture those via my camera. I love featuring photos like those in the yearbook, and there's a plan to display some of that type of photo that some fellow photography classmates of mine and I captured last year, around the school. I also have this plan to capture the spirit of my small town in photos throughout this year as well. Basically, my camera will be on my shoulder just about 24/7 and I cannot wait! 

Since freshman year, I've really cultivated some awesome relationships with the teachers at my high school. I've been lucky enough to have really great teachers that I have learned so much from, and many of them I've had for multiple years in a row. It's going to be a little upsetting when I leave for college with all new people and professors that are unfamiliar to me too - don't get me wrong, I'm very excited about college, but I'll definitely miss the teachers that have helped me grow. 

Ah okay as much as I love talking about college, I think I need to stop just because I have an entire year left that I really need to make the most of. College can't start until I graduate high school first! 

I really don't get that nervous before a school year starts. Like even before my freshman year I slept just fine. This year I'd say I'm slightly more nervous for some reason. I actually have no idea why. I assume it's because my school district isn't starting back until Wednesday, AFTER today's eclipse, which is about a week later than we started last year. We've already had our first football game (my school won, but I didn't go because it was an away game), and our big rivalry game takes place this Friday! That just means two pep rallies in a three day week... Sometimes after a slower end to the Summer, jumping straight into a busy school year can be a weird transition for me. Maybe that's hat has me slightly jittery.

I'm finishing this post at 11 pm the night before school starts. Yikes. Here's to jitters and stomach butterflies, and an awesome senior year!