To the class of 2024,
Congratulations on starting your senior year (aka the best year). I am so excited for all of you, and am beyond proud of how far you’ve come. The Grotto Staff asked me to share the things I wish I knew before my own senior year, and while I could write a novel about my special senior year, I managed to pick two top points that I believe serve as the basis for making it the most amazing 9 months.
Here is what I wish I knew before my own senior year.
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The year will fly by, appreciate every moment.
I used to hear this all the time, and I never paid enough attention to it until it was too late. This is a time you will look back on for the rest of your life, wishing you could have just one more day.
To help you see the best of every second, pretend that you are ten years older than you are now, and you have the chance to relive one day of your senior year. If this were happening, you would be beyond grateful for every small moment and for everyone around you. You would participate in every event, and you wouldn’t be in a rush to leave campus at 2:30pm.
It truly is the small moments that add up, so cherish it as if it’s your last day to do so. Sometimes, we don’t realize how special something is until it’s gone, so don’t let that happen to your special senior year.
2. Senior year is better with best friends all around you.
The community and sisterhood within the school is unlike anything outside of it. As a freshman in college, I am meeting people from all different high schools and am realizing how unique it is to have grown up within the Lourdes sisterhood. The chance that you all have now, at the beginning of the year, to strengthen your bond as a class is one that should be prioritized.
Senior year was my favorite year at Lourdes because of the close bond within my class. All 208 of us were there for each other, we included each other, and we never saw ourselves as better than one another. Know that the making of a strong and united grade starts with you.
To live your best life this year, the people around you need to be living their best lives, too, so help them out and be there for them with every chance you get.
Oh, and here’s a bonus piece of advice that might be more important than the rest of this letter…
Win Polar Palooza!
Months after Polar Palooza, my class still talks about how it was one of the most fun events. The trick is to go all out with the performances. It won’t be easy to beat Belen if you try to compete in the “funny” category, but it will be a clean sweep if you guys manage to perform organized, over-the-top productions.
Most importantly, have fun with it. I know that your class will be able to keep the trophy where it belongs, on our campus.
I love you all more than you know,
Paola Lista ‘23
