Exactly 10 years ago today I graduated from high school, which seems insane because I have shoes from high school that still fit me. (Looking at you, TOMS.) My high school yearbook is currently in my parents’ basement, but from what I can remember, my next steps were to go to college, major in English, and work at ESPN. One out of those three things happened, being I went to college.

And now, 10 years later, I’d hope that 2012 me would be proud of 2022 me.

My favorite part of high school was managing the varsity baseball team for two years, my junior and senior years. I was an above-average student for the most part; I took honors classes but never took AP ones. I liked my English and business classes and hated my math and science ones. I also started my job at the ice cream shop while I was in high school, so I pretty much spent every weekend there.

I’m not friends with anyone from high school, aside from following a random assortment of people on social media. For some reason, part of me worries about that more than I should; what does it say about me that I’m not friends with people from high school? Over the years, it feels like I’ve had more “seasons” of friends, especially when it comes to friends from work. But I’m a believer that the people who stay in your life are meant to, and honestly, friends come and go, as well as relationships. I wouldn’t want to be the same person I was 10 years ago, so it’s okay if things change or you lose touch. (That’s what Instagram-stalking is for now.)

Over these past 10 years, I’ve:

• Turned 21
• Went to college and graduated with my bachelor’s degree
• Had my first relationship
• Had two internships
• Worked at the ice cream shop
• Started my first real job out of college
• Picked up running as a hobby and started running 5K races
• Bought my first car
• Graduated with my master’s degree
• Moved on to my second (and current) job at my alma mater
• Went to a bunch of baseball and hockey games
• Paid off my student loans and car loan
• Lived (and still living) through a global pandemic
• Worked from home for over a year and a half
• Got three new pets and lost two
• Bought a condo and moved out of my parents’ house
• Found love and a pretty great boyfriend on Hinge
• So much reading
• Traveled around New England
• Started this blog!

My high school closed down 6 years ago when they merged the two high schools in town, opting to move students to the one across town. The building that once was my high school (and my parents’ too) is now a multi-purpose building used for adult education and town events, and the athletic fields are used for travel teams. So it didn’t completely go to waste, but it’s still weird to know it’s closed forever.

When did you graduate high school? Where were you 10 years after graduation?

PS: I tried looking for photos of me from high school on my laptop, but I think some of them are on a hard drive at my parents’ house, and since I didn’t get a Facebook account until 2013 when I was a sophomore in college, I missed the awkward high school Facebook stage. So yeah.