Just 3 years ago Mrs.Droginske, plus a small class of student journalists, restored The Park Press. I was one of what we refer to in the program as “the founding fathers”. I have not only been writing for the paper in that time, but also held different leadership positions, most recently being the Co-Editor in Chief.
As I near the end of my high school career, I’m preparing to relinquish my role in the press and pass it on to the next. Selfishly enough, this has been a bit of a struggle. I’m having trouble saying goodbye to an organization that I put so much work into. Simple Mindfulness states, “Letting go can be hard because it means letting go of aspects of your past – aspects of you”.
Letting go is often easier said than done. I’m sure that many of you that will also be crossing the stage in May can relate to this in one way or another. Whether that be leaving behind an extracurricular, a CTE program, or maybe even just high school as a whole. I find that my biggest obstacle leaving The Park Press is abandoning the program that I consider a home. I find security in knowing that I am good at what I do here on the press, but I do not have that same security when entering college.
Not only do I fear the uncertainty of my own life, but the future of The Park Press. Of course I trust all of my fellow staff members, but it’s scary to put such a huge part of my highschool career into the hands of another person. I believe that this difficulty stems from both my fear of letting go, and also a loss of control.
If the college process has taught me anything, it’s that I have no control over it. Between scholarship results, orientation dates, and dorm room decisions, it seems the next year of my life has been planned for me. Within my high school environment, The Park Press reminds me that I have control over something, but there is no Park Press in Fort Myers, Florida. I feel like I’m entering a trivial moment of my life with zero control over the outcome, but this doesn’t have to be the case.
Although a loss of control can be scary, nothing in life is set in stone. We must live by probabilities, and not guarantees. This is especially true for those who are graduating. Don’t expect college to be an easy transition, and vice versa. Entering a new environment with an open mind will let the experience itself create your opinion on it, rather than going in with preconceived notions of how you will feel. As Maria from The Sound of Music says, “When the Lord Closes a Door, Somewhere He Opens a Window”.
