Nine months ago, the very thought of high school terrified me. My eighth-grade self couldn’t fathom making the jump from middle school to Westview’s sprawling campus, endless homework, harsh grading, and, most of all, new people. After a year of being among the oldest on campus, being reduced to the “little kid” as a freshman seemed awful.

On my first day, I felt tremendously out of place; the halls were packed with people I didn’t recognize, people who were taller and louder and had probably taken AP tests or SATs or whatever scary things upperclassmen did, and I didn’t know how I would fit in.

But in the final period of that seemingly endless first day, my most memorable interaction was with two of the sweetest girls I’ve met. I would later find out that they were seniors. They welcomed me to their table, asked me how I liked the campus and my classes, what school I came from and which one I dreamed of going to. This was my first impression of the newspaper The Nexus and the students who make up its staff. They gave me my first true inkling of the kind, close-knit community high school could be.

In the following months, I befriended many more seniors than I ever imagined I would. Not only were they in my classes, but I’ve also had the honor of interviewing dozens of upperclassmen for articles I wrote, covering everything from sports to passion projects to art. Hearing them reminisce about their high-school careers, their regrets and their happiest memories, helped me gain perspective and understand that these four years are meant to be lived to the fullest.

It was also comforting to know that, as dramatic as it sounds, there were people who survived high school and were going into college with smiles on their faces. Hearing about the mishaps and roadblocks and how they overcame them has made me trust that in the end, maybe it all really does work out.

And whenever I asked any of them if it does, they were quick to assure me that this is true. Any concerns would always be solved by a logical solution, any “what if’s” would always be put to rest with an “I’ve been there” talk from these people who truly had been there three years ago. I’ve been given advice about friendships, relationships, studying habits, bad AP teachers, and life in general that has helped me navigate the chaotic social and academic worlds of ninth grade.

Seniors have told me stories about their freshman years and how they feared their upperclassmen who are now long gone. But whenever someone asked which seniors intimidated me, I never really had an answer: At some point, they stopped being terrifying and grown-up and just became wonderful friends.

I don’t know where I would be without the insight they had to offer or the inspiration their achievements provided.

Now, at the end of the school year, at the close of the Year One that had always seemed so daunting, the end of the first step in my high-school journey, I know that there is so much to explore, so much to learn, and so much room to grow. Watching my upperclassman friends lead clubs and teams to success, win awards, get into their dream colleges, and more, I’ve learned to strive to be the best version of myself in hopes of paving my own path the way they paved theirs. And through this, maybe someday, I can be that elite, inspiring senior.

I know I’m going to miss them immensely, and that these impossibly awesome people are moving on to bigger, better things, but I hope the upperclassmen know that they have made this the most incredible freshman year anyone could ever ask for, and that being embraced as a Wolverine by those I look up to has been an unforgettable experience.