By Megan Hardin

Leaving friends and family behind is something that every student going to college will have to do.  They will have to pack up and leave the things they love the most and that have shaped them into who they are today. For the average senior, after their four years of high school, they will be doing this in the summer. For me, though, the time to say goodbye is much sooner. After attending FC for the last three and a half years, my journey here is coming to an end.

On December 21, I will take my last steps down the hallways as a high school student and walk out the doors a graduate of FC. I will be graduating a semester early and heading off to Ball State University. Over the break while other students will be hanging out with friends and family, I will be packing up and leaving Floyd County behind to start my next chapter in life.

While I am excited to be moving on with my life, I am sad that I am leaving a place that has led me to discover who I am. Most students say that they can’t wait to get out of high school, and that is exactly how I felt, but as my final day is approaching it seems like everything has gone by so fast. It honestly doesn’t even feel like I should be graduating from high school tomorrow.

I can still remember my first day at FC when they were still doing construction, and I got lost numerous times, and couldn’t open my locker at all that day because my hands were shaking I was so nervous. A lot has changed since then, especially me, and that all has to do with high school.

I have had so many experiences, good and bad, that have impacted my life. I have gained and lost friends along the way. I have had heartbreaks and relationships. I have had things that I thought would last forever end. And I have seen those around my grow into the people that they are today.

I have also noticed myself being changed by high school. Before I came to FC I didn’t have a passion for anything. I didn’t have a particular class that I liked or extra circular activity that I wanted to do. Then in my sophomore year I realized how much I liked writing and wanted to do more with it. I signed up to take Journalism and I loved it. After all these years I had finally found that I had a passion for something. After that I joined the online Bagpiper staff, and have written stories and pieces on a weekly basis ever since.

High school is something that every teen experiences and I am glad that I got to have all of those experiences at FC. Even though I am leaving FC, the memories and experiences that I have gained will always be with me. I have had my ups and downs here, but FC will always have a special place in my heart.