Transitions

For this month’s topic of “Transitions,” I decided to focus my article on the transition from fleeting youth to (what seems like) perpetual maturity and adulthood.

I find myself grasping onto my own youth and childhood more than ever before as I enter my senior year—a year of many lasts: my last day of school, my last opening ceremony, and my last year with classmates who have become family to me. These feelings are difficult for me to reconcile with, as I feel the end of this golden chapter in my life closing in on me like a bomb ticking down, counting the days until I graduate.
To alleviate these complicated feelings, I decided to interview one of my teachers. Here is a paraphrased version of that interview, and I hope that this article helps others who are sharing this similar experience with me to adopt a new perspective on the transition between childhood and adulthood.

As someone who has witnessed many students making this transition, what do you think are the most overlooked challenges of moving from adolescence to adulthood, and how can students best prepare themselves emotionally and mentally for those challenges?

The most overlooked challenge, I would say, is managing expectations. Many seniors anticipate university and adulthood to feel like an entirely new world, which is true… but only in some ways. However, in many aspects, life—composed of challenges and routines—remains more familiar than expected. For example, soon after you step into the doors of university, you will find yourself trying to achieve a comfortable work-life balance—much like what you do in high school; the only difference is that the professors are more like distant mentors than babysitters. Think back to when you transitioned from elementary school to high school; I am sure you expected high school to be an entirely new environment like in the movies, but in reality, it was not as scary or unapproachable as you thought. Students nowadays are so capable of adapting to new technologies and environments that, with time, you will make the transition from adolescence to adulthood naturally. The best way to prepare yourself is to stay grounded, trust in your abilities, and anchor yourself in what truly matters to you.

Although senior year is a year of many “lasts,” it is also a year of many “firsts.” So many fresh and valuable experiences that are unique to senior year will come into your sight: the first time writing college and university applications, the first real reflection on life beyond high school, and the first memories of core milestones like graduations, proms, and senior-exclusive events. There are so many exciting experiences awaiting senior year, and if you were able to survive the past 4 years of high school, then this last one should not be daunting either. I find that senior classes become incredibly close-knit with each other in this final year. Therefore, my advice is to make all the memories you can before saying goodbye, because these are people, some of them you might not want to admit, who have seen you grow, struggle, and come out on top. They have been by your side through challenges, shared in your successes, and created a sense of community that is hard to find elsewhere. Cherish these moments, because while you may go in different directions, the bond you have built will always be a part of your story.

To all the seniors in the Class of 2025, I wish you all the best and an amazing final year!