| | Published October 9th, 2013
| An Era of Epic
| | By Lora Galoyan |  | | Lora Galoyan graduated in 2013 from Acalanes High School. She is the You Can! reporter on Express Yourself! Teen Radio and advocates?that the impossible is only the untried.
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High school can be defined as a very simple, yet very complicated era during a person's early life. It is one of many transitional points that teens encounter, and arguably one of the most difficult ones. Within it lies the end of childhood, the experience of adolescence, and, at its very end, a steady push into adulthood. Yet, the end of this period is the surprise finale students anticipate with eagerness. Last June, families of local seniors attending Acalanes, Campolindo, and Miramonte high schools guided their children toward the next step and they looked at this year with anticipation. "I finally get to take classes I enjoy, be whoever I want to be, and discover myself! I get to go to a college that I love and be away from everything that I've known," said recent Acalanes High School graduate Janine Kara.
The word "relief" is commonly associated with the senior year of high school, as it represents a new door to independence, the breaking of an old routine, and a gateway to opportunity. Seniors are finding themselves at the same starting line they did when they first entered kindergarten, full of curiosity and dreams mixed with trepidation. "This was an epic learning experience, and obviously I have had some amazing moments, but I am glad to get out of this insulated bubble," said a Campolindo High School student who graduated last June.
Even so, with all the happiness illuminating each passing day on these students' new adventures, there was still an unspoken element of sadness that haunted last year's class of 2013.
Students don't willingly admit they miss the predictability of high school and the comfortable atmosphere of Lamorinda living, yet, as one Lamorinda high school grad put it, "Ever since I left, I've come to realize that I was very happy living in Moraga, despite the fact that it's obviously much less interesting than this busy college town I live in now." There is no denying that this environment has played a role in molding the foundation for adulthood, and in the four short years between being freshmen and seniors, students evolve both individually and collectively. Many begin to appreciate the certainty of home only when given the opportunity to explore the unknown.
Graduating seniors have the choice to walk many roads, and where the graduates of 2014 tread will be their next great adventure.
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Teen Scene is YOUR voice. If you have something to say or have writing skills and want to be part of our Teen Scene team, email our Teen Coach, Cynthia Brian,
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The opinions expressed in Teen Scene are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the Lamorinda Weekly.Cynthia@CynthiaBrian.com.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA