Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I might remember in 10 years. I seem to spend so much of my time memorizing and note-taking. So as my time at Naperville Central High School comes to a close, I can’t help but ask myself: what am I actually going to remember in 10 years?
Am I going to remember how to calculate the net flow of a vector field across an ellipsoid? Why Gatsby relentlessly chased Daisy? The reasons behind the stock market crash of 1987?
Maybe, maybe not. But in all honesty, I won’t need to.
I’ve found that the real value of all those years of schooling was not, for the most part, the content. The basic ability to read, write and do arithmetic is a foundational necessity, but beyond that, most specifics fade.
Rather, what these classes were teaching me was how to learn.
I believe that the most important things that school has taught me are how to think for myself, how to ask questions, and how to adapt. With these skills, I feel confident in my ability to tackle any unknown topic as I transition from high school to college.
In the fall, I will be attending Harvard University to study Government.
It feels surreal. It feels like the culmination of four years of classes, studies and extracurriculars. Yet, at the same time, I know that it’s only the beginning of my journey into the next chapter of my life. And after four years of some of the best public high school education this country has to offer, I’m more than prepared to step into the unknown.
Thanks to the friends and family who supported me along the way; it’s been a journey I won’t forget, even 10 years from now.
