As we all sit through one of the biggest stories to come across in history, it has truly overtaken my senior year.

The year 2020 has brought our class major setbacks of senior traditions that were supposed to be fulfilled during this time of year. It was our last year to give it our all, really make those last memories count. This was the year to set the bar high.

For me, I feel as if I had lost myself through my years in high school; I wasn’t showing my full potential. This past summer, I realized I have come such a long way to just give up. I knew I could really be successful if I tried.

That’s when I decided to get up and do something about that mentality.  I tried new things. I took a leadership role in a dance camp program. I worked every single day to not be sidetracked from my goals. That way when I walked into school this year I was ready to conquer it all. I said “This is my year…No one can tell me different.”

I can honestly say I have improved; I know what my goals are. I have been taking those steps toward seeing the big picture. I was so ready to get that recognition this year at my dance competitions so I could earn those scholarships, to be able to showcase myself as the true hard worker I knew I could be.

You see, dance really found me as a person, it’s what made me feel I had a place in this world. Dancing on that stage was everything. So it is sad to say I don’t see the possibility of being able to compete this season due to these unprecedented times.

I understand we do need to be aware of what’s going on around us even if it means sacrificing everything. I do believe we will be coming out of this stronger, more eager to get back to things.

We will have our comeback. It may not be the way we expected it, but hey life is unexpected. Just look at it as “Are we really going to let this get the best of us? Or are we going to fight through this and find a positive outcome?”

My heart truly goes out to every one of the class of 2020. We all had things we were really looking forward to as it is our last year, that we wont get back. But that doesn’t mean we stop working for the future.

We all deserve a successful future. Bigger opportunities will be on the way, we just have to have that little bit of hope. Be smart, be aware, better outcomes will appear.

Did this crisis ruin the plans that I had? Yes. It has brought me to tears, but I’m not the only one who has to go through this. We all are in this together. We will get through this together and stay strong.

Everyone has this thought like it’s the end. The truth is we don’t know what the outcome is, the best we can do is follow along and hope for the best.  We will have our comeback.