In one of my favorite childhood films, the main character says in a desperate situation, "All one can do is the next right thing." The real ones will recognize this as Anna from Frozen II. These words were taken to heart, but a question arose: What even is the next right thing? I spent a lot of junior year trying to answer that. Second-guessing every decision, constantly overthinking whether I was on the right track, wishing I had more certainty than high school was ever goi

“WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?” I HEAR THAT QUESTION FREQUENTLY WHEN I’M TRYING TO GET TO KNOW SOMEONE, YET I NEVER KNOW HOW TO ANSWER, EVEN THOUGH ANYONE IN MY LIFE KNOWS THAT I CONSTANTLY HAVE SOME SONG PLAYING IN MY EARS. MY FAMILY DEALS WITH ME BLASTING MUSIC IN THE SHOWER EVERY NIGHT AT 10 PM, AND I THANK THEM FOR TOLERATING THAT. I ALSO THANK MY TEACHERS WHO DEALT WITH ME HAVING MY AIRPODS IN DURING CLASS OR AS I COMPLETED ASSIGNMENTS. I ESPECIALLY THANK HERR SCH

WE ALL KNOW THE QUESTION OF “WHAT COMES NEXT” REFLECTS A RITE OF PASSAGE FOR EVERYONE GRADUATING TODAY. AFTER WE MOVE OUR TASSELS OVER, THROW OUR CAPS UP IN THE AIR AND MARCH OUT AS THE CLASS OF 2026 ONE LAST TIME, THE FUTURE BECOMES THE PRESENT. WE MADE OUR CHOICES, DECIDED OUR PATH, EMBRACED THE UNKNOWN. FOR ME, WHEN ANYONE ASKS WHAT COMES NEXT, MY ANSWER INVOLVES MOVING 2500 MILES AWAY TO GO TO COLLEGE IN CALIFORNIA. THE NEXT QUESTION IS ALWAYS, “ARE YOU READY?” MY