The end of the school year comes with the gentle breeze that is gracing the pine trees. Looking through the windows of Room 209, the same room I have been in almost every day in the last four years, it truly does feel like the end of an era.

I have felt myself growing, pushing the boundaries of who I thought I was, until I found something new. Even in the first days of freshman year, high school students are pushed towards graduation. Every class, every extracurricular, even community service, is all serving the goal of the diploma in hand once each individual has served their credits. It is strange, and it is a struggle I have heard both in and out of school. Focusing on the present is somewhat impossible when your purpose in a space is to progress, especially in such an expected part of the United States adolescence. 

The Truckee roads that I am ever so accustomed to driving on will be carrying me onward to the future. “Greener pastures” may not be the words I am looking for, but something different will be waiting for me. 

Before high school, I don’t think that I had a particular appreciation for community, or really much passion for anything, but especially not for the outdoors-based community of Truckee. Funnily enough, I was more worried about leaving Truckee in eighth grade than I am now, when I am on the brink of departure.

Now, I am blessed with having experienced the opportunities given to me the last four years and I am appreciative of the small mountain town more than I’ve ever been before. The high school experiences that many people go through have carried me so far, and then my individual adventures have carried me further.

My experience with The Truckee Times has been transformative in and of itself. From my first day in journalism as a sophomore to now, a Managing Editor for the publication, I have learned what it means to function as a part of a whole. 

For individual stories it is always the same: reporting on an event, writing the story, copyediting, photography, and publishing. Then, it is managing staff: copy editors, authors, reporters, photographers. Friends, peers, acquaintances who are the backbone of journalism at Truckee High. 

Looking back, this would never have been something I chose to do without one friend who convinced me to join Sophomore year after we had ninth grade English class with Mr. Close. It felt like getting thrown in the deep end, but I ended up floating, and without the jump I would have never found my favorite part of high school, my favorite community, and my favorite way of writing.

Knowing that I found what I loved most about THS in an unexpected place gives me faith for everything coming in the future. As I cross the country I’ll know to appreciate the unexpected, and welcome new experiences with open arms. Who knows what will be the next “best community” and what will propel me forward for the next four years to come.