As we wave our goodbye to our friends at Manhattan High School we think about our future and what that will be.  Will it be going to college, getting a job, or traveling.

As a senior I get the same question over and over: What are you going to do after high school? I look at them and I am honest and say, I know I won’t be attending college right after I graduate. I can’t afford being in debt off student loans, and my single mom can’t afford to send me. I plan to get a job and save money to open my own business on the side. I want to follow my dreams and become a photographer, not a student again for two to eight years. I would be unhappy and miserable. Just because they are trying to hold you back with college does not mean you can’t move forward.

Your life after high school does not need to be more school. College is a choice not a need. Some people believe that dreams don’t make money. I am here to say that that isn’t true.

There are reasons that students feel pressure to go to college. Your family and friends won’t be proud you, maybe you can’t afford it, or maybe it just does not spark your interest, but that is okay. Don’t let people holding you back stop you from being happy. Your life isn’t over if college isn’t for you. There are plenty of opportunities to come in ones future. You don’t need more school to be smart, or popular, or anything else. Your life is about you, not making others happy.

Life will never be easy and I know it is hard. I am struggling to find a job right now. People won’t hire me because I haven’t graduated and tell me to call back after I do. They may prefer not to hire high school students because they can’t work as much during the week. In a college town many of the jobs left for high schoolers is fast food. I go out to eat and there is always someone I know working at the fast food restaurant.

So whatever struggle life is throwing at you, just power through it. Things will get better no matter what, even in the hardest of times.

As for the juniors moving up to be seniors, remember that your last year of high school is not a joke. Get your work done so you can start your adult life in a positive way. You don’t want to come to the end of the year and be told a week before graduation that you have to make a class up online to be able to walk across the stage. If you need help ask, if you have time, do your work. Yes everyone needs a break but you have to plan ahead and not slack off.

I leave everyone with these words because I know school is hard. The pressure of pleasing everyone is real. Just remember to please yourself first. Your mental health comes before others. You can’t help someone if you aren’t healthy. Don’t let this next step in life overwhelm you. Goodbye Manhattan High School, you will be missed.