When we were younger, we’d play family or dress-up as our favorite princesses or superheroes. We’d build forts and pretend they were our castles or lairs. We’d create a world of our own and revel in our fantasies. Since the beginning of my senior year, I’m constantly pondering questions about leaving and growing.

Those of you who have been within the district since elementary school, many of us have actually grown up together. We’ve witnessed one another go through huge milestones and monumental life events. We’ve seen each other grow and become adults.

After being together for 12 years, we’re all heading in different directions — for me, that’s a little terrifying. Every little thing about our lives is going to change, from the kids we go to school with to who our friends will be. A blank slate. A clean break. But, can I handle that? Can any of us?

It’s not like there is even an island of escape from college, the future acceptances, rejections, the possibility of leaving my home. I’m either submitting college applications or doing what I need to do at school to get into my favorite college. And while I’m struggling through that chaos, those pesky questions about growing up keep sneaking into my head. If it hasn’t been made clear yet, it feels like becoming an adult is like swirling through a tornado. Does the tornado ever die down … or is that adulthood?

I realized that in order to return to a state of homeostasis, I had to give myself a map to navigate all this. My map became taking the extra second to value those around me, and therein I found my answers to the questions circling my head.

Saying good-bye is hard because of the potential regrets: Did I not tell those I care about how much I love them? Did I not take an extra second to appreciate the little things people have done for me? By taking the extra second to say thank you to those around you who listen to your problems and provide guidance, by giving a hug to that friend who sat with you while you cried, you’re making sure those people know they’re valued by you.

That’s why you head into the future with the assurance that you made the most of the experiences and relationships you had in high school.

Does the tornado ever die down? I don’t know. But with the right people to love and support me, and by loving and supporting those who I care about, I know I have a good support system, the best people to have by my side as I grow. That’s how I know that I’ll be able to handle it because support systems deliver the same effect whether they are right by your side or a thousand miles away.

It’s a cliche sentiment — remembering to value those you care about. But I just want to remind my fellow seniors, we’ll be saying goodbye soon. We’ll say good-bye to each other, to our families, to everything that is our current normal.

Let’s take whatever little time we have left not just to apply to college. Let’s make sure we say goodbye, knowing we did what we could for our friends, knowing that we’re leaving without a single regret about each of our high school experiences — and everything leading up to that.