As I joyously left the blue mats for the last time, a third place medal hanging around my neck, I knew I never could have predicted an outcome like this. It was senior year, and USA Nationals were officially over. Although we left without clinching first place, the meaning behind all we did accomplish more than sufficed for the lack of winner’s backpacks.

Let me back up for a moment and explain: for every cheerleader, that all-elusive moment of guaranteed perfection is nationals during senior year. Holly Savage, Leah Christopher and I had dreamt of its rewards ever since we joined cheer in eighth grade.

While cheerleading is not at all how Hollywood portrays it, there were still countless dramas that unfolded throughout our five-year tenure as FCHS cheerleaders. It took a lot of roadblocks for us to finally realize that the perfection of our fantasies was quite unattainable.

Giving up such a dream was incredibly difficult. However, after the comprehension of our fatally flawless ideals, we were able to realistically work toward a tangibly successful end result.

And so we stood on Sunday, March 28, beside ourselves with joy over our third-place accomplishments.

Although this past cheer season has been more difficult than I ever imagined, through it I gathered so many valuable lessons. The most important of these? The value is in the journey.

While the hoped-for end result is always the goal of such a process, once the goal had been reached, I realized that it was everything we put into the quest itself that influenced us the most. Learning from the mistakes and obstacles we struggled against brought about more personal growth than simply winning a trophy.

Looking back, this epitomizes not just cheerleading, but all of high school. After all, what will I remember? The grade earned on a poetry project, or the all-nighter that made its completion possible? Will I remember the handful of handsprings I hit or the hours poured into countless attempts that left me landing on my knees?

Journalism has also become a prime example of this throughout my three years on staff. The hours spent trudging through the InDesign tutorial alone amid the din of an elementary typing class forced me to learn in more ways than the encouragement of a plaque ever did.

Although difficult at first, this type of forced growth has resulted in my position as hard copy editor-in-chief, my help in winning two Pacemakers and various other top awards. I deeply appreciate all journeys that have helped bring me to where I am now, poised to move on to college after learning so much in high school.

The transition from Fresno Christian, where I have spent 13 years as a lifer, to college poses a daunting task. I know that I will face various challenges, and most likely not succeed every time I attempt to take on that intense-looking chemistry class or finish my homework before midnight.

However, I do know that I now have the perspective to step back every once in a while and appreciate the process itself. As I start a new chapter in the fall, this knowledge will carry me through the sometimes overwhelming progression from a high schooler to an adult. I can’t wait to embark on this journey of a lifetime.

Elizabeth, the valedictorian of her class, will attend Westmont College in the fall and major in chemistry.

For more senior reflections, read the May 24 column, Classroom experiences define editor-in-chief.