The end... and the beginning

Graduation. June 4th, 2005.

A day of happiness, and a day of sadness. A day of laughter, and a day of tears. A day of bright sunshine, and a day of vicious thunderstorms. (That last one was literal.)

Now, I look back upon that day... and back upon the three years of high-school education that I had just finished.

I had applied for the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy a year earlier than most students would. Normally, one would apply to the school while a freshman in high school; I applied as an 8th-grader. IMSA people have a special name for us early appliers who get in: "shmen".

Indeed, I was quite surprised when I got the acceptance letter from IMSA. In fact, for a good deal of time, I was unsure that I deserved the honor. Sure, I was one of the top students in my class, and I have gotten some lofty achievements, but I knew that there were better people than I out there...

Much of my first days at IMSA were spent wondering, "Do I belong here?"

Now, I look back on June 4th, diploma in hand (well, technically just the diploma cover at that time), saying my goodbyes to my fellow seniors. You know, I did belong. I had come such a long way since my entry to the school one August afternoon in 2002... making new friends, learning new stuff, losing new bits of sanity... yep, that was IMSA, folks.

What are my fondest memories of my time at this place? Was it all the classes I was in and all the new knowledge I obtained? Was it in the assorted extracurricular activities I was involved in? Was it in the friendships I made while I was there? I'd say it was in all three. While I was at IMSA, I learned how to take derivatives, how to evaluate the thermodynamics of a chemical reaction, and how to write long papers. I learned how to solve problems at a math competition, how to play assorted card games, and how to act like a fool in a drama production (assuming I was a fool). And I learned about the assorted crazy antics of my friends. IMSA was a place to learn, and what I learned is what I will remember throughout my life. Hopefully.

I'll tell you one thing, though. Sometimes, I would have regrets about certain parts of my IMSA life. I could've amounted to so much, but I let so many opportunities pass me by. I had wasted so much time on meaningless stuff. I had lost a year to do things by skipping a grade. What do I have to show for it? Report cards that aren't straight A's, rejectance letters from top schools and many scholarships, multiple arguments with my parents... I wonder what would've happened if maybe I did something differently. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I shouldn't have gone to IMSA.

But then, I remember one of my favorite quotes from the Chronicles of Narnia (and I'm quoting this from memory): "No one is ever told what would have happened." I find this a very comforting quote: it reminds me that though we cannot change the past, we can be assured that what has happened is part of God's plan; He will make everything okay in the end. He had put me in IMSA, and he put me there a year early, because that was part of His plan. He is sending me to Case Western Reserve University, instead of some more prestigious school, because that is part of His plan. I can only trust Him, and I must learn to trust Him.

Now, I am finally leaving this place called IMSA. I am finally leaving all the friends I have made here (save for ten who are also going to Case Western), all of the wonderful (and not so wonderful) teachers here, and everything I had known to be my life for the past 3 years: math team, nasty cafeteria food, weekly card games, 10 pm curfew, painful processes for visiting the room of the opposite gender, internet shutting off at 1 am every day, etc. I will miss it all. IMSA has found a place in my heart.

Yet at the same time, I'm not holding onto my past life, reluctant to enter the new world because I love my old world too much. I rather look forward to my new life at Case Western. There are more friends to make, more knowledge to learn, more activities to join, and more sanity to be lost. How can that be anything but exciting?

My life is comprised of many adventures. I had just finished my latest one; a three-year adventure through IMSA. Now, a new venture lies ahead of me: college. I always love new adventures, but any true adventurer knows that you don't forget your old adventures. Indeed, I will never forget my IMSA adventure. There are too many good memories, even those not trapped in my assorted yearbooks and photos. I know that, in some years when there'll be a reunion, I'll see all my old friends again, and we can laugh at those memories while sharing our new lives with each other, even if it is only for a day. And when I finally go Home, I will be among several of these friends forever. Now isn't that something to look forward to?

Graduation. It is the end of an old adventure... and the beginning of a new one.