When I came home from school the other day, it dawned on me that it truly felt like my final day of high school. Only senior trip and graduation practice stood in my way from that long-awaited and iconic diploma.
With this somewhat shocking realization, I then continued to muse over my entire high school career: how it flew by, whether I had made the most of it, what my favorite memories were and all of the people I would miss.
Let me start off by saying that, as one of my quirks, I actually thoroughly enjoy and love going to school, and somewhere deep down I slightly dread graduating from Fresno Christian and leaving the student body and faculty behind in my seemingly monumental transition from high school to college.
With this love of school in mind, the thought of leaving FC is bittersweet. This school feels like a family to me, especially since my mother Cynthia Ward was the athletic director, my sister-in-law Michelle Regnerus works in the athletic office, and I have shared nearly every class since fourth grade with my twin brother Austin Ward.
I feel that this family atmosphere has thoroughly equipped me for heading out into the real world. I’ve learned that getting to know others truly stretches one’s ability to connect with others on a deeper level, and, much like in journalism, adds insight and enjoyment to the penning of one’s life.
I’ve developed more personal growth within these walls than I could have ever expected. The Feather, Planeteers Club, Spanish Club, California Scholarship Federation, Peer Counseling, my academic courses and all the student activities and events in between have blessed me more than I could have imagined and pushed me to succeed both academically, personally and spiritually.
Never would I think that taking AP Calculus AB would be one of the greatest highlights of my year, or that a group of students and I would congregate at The Well Community Church for fellowship each week, or that I would end up seeing the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I with a group of my peers, or that Austin would beat me in a dance competition, or that senior year, with its whirlwind of deadlines and college stress, would end up being the greatest year in my entire high school career.
With such experiences, especially those during my senior year of high school, I feel the best piece of advice I can bestow upon my fellow classmates is to share the factors that truly made my senior year one to remember and cherish: going through high school not with the goal of popularity or accolades in mind but with the goal to reach out to others and somehow impact another’s life.
My senior year was made so enjoyable because I finally and completely stepped out of my bubble and valued the diverse personalities, interests and quirks that our student body has to offer. I was able to genuinely get to know many students that I hadn’t talked to very much before, and to truly value these friendships the most out of everything I’ve gained in high school.
I’ve come to learn that grudges aren’t worth it, drama isn’t worth it, and popularity isn’t worth it. The deep relationships I’ve cultivated in high school ?- both with teachers and students -? are what have made my high school career so absolutely incredible and worthwhile, both preparing me for my future and strengthening my walk with the Lord.
So, while it saddens me to leave these halls, I know that I will go forward with the many strengths and benefits that I’ve been blessed to receive while at FC, knowing that while I head to another area for a new chapter in my life, this closing chapter and the friendships within it will not soon fade from my memory, or my life.
Ashley will attend Westmont College in the fall, majoring in Education, Psychology or Sociology.
