December 14, 2021
Editor: Keara Keelty
Artist: Juliete Beals
When I was 14 years old, I made my first trip up to Sparks Glencoe, Maryland, which is a little town just North of Baltimore. Little did I know, this move would soon change my life. However, at the moment, I hated this very idea. And, on this note, before even reaching the small campus tucked away in hills and meadows, I immediately told my grandmother that there was absolutely no way I would be going to an all girls high school, and a boarding school at that. With the fiery temper of a middle schooler, I told her I’d need therapy and that I would hate her and my grandfather forever. I would have never expected that this would become the most magical place on earth, or rather, my safe haven for the next four years.
Upon getting home after visiting my boarding school for the first time, I began dancing in front of a seventeen year-old TV. Sure enough, this was my grandfather’s prized possession since the late 90s - complete with duct tape framing the edges due to collective wear and tear. I fiercely chanted the name of the school, nearly --and only somewhat out of pitch-- singing, “I’m going to Oldfields, I’m going to Oldfields” at a most energetic zenith.
Flash forward: For the next four years, I spent everyday with friends who became my sisters. From taking long walks at night to petting the horses at the stable to even babysitting my basketball coach’s three sons, Oldfields was the one place I could truly be myself - and I could not help wreaking absolute havoc on my way.
As I reflect on my high school experience from a college perspective, I certainly recognize that I will always savor these memories that made me who I am today. I had people, like my field hockey coach, who we called Blaum, always pushing me to be better, despite her comment that she would have to disown me as an Iowa alumnae. Or even Mrs. Littlefield, or Mama, who taught me how to live passionately and dream big. And even from the little town of Sparks Glencoe, all the way to the bustling city of Ann Arbor, boarding school memories have indeed followed me to college.
Last year, I --just like I used to in high school-- called Blaum just to see if she would answer, and sure enough, she did; I called Mrs. Littlefield just to complain as to how much I despised online school and how if I could make one wish, it would be to go back to Oldfields and be a student there for just one more day. In that sense, it is fair to say that the college transition was hard. However, change is never going to be easy, no matter what school or where in the country or greater world you are from. I ask myself: What would be the point? We come to college to follow our dreams, live freely, and most importantly, to live for ourselves. Though, coming from a school with structure from the moment I woke up at 5:30 for lifting, to study hall from 7:30 to 9:30, and even until the WiFi was shut off at 1, I could not figure out how exactly to live for myself. Thus became the vicious cycle of watching TV at 3 am to taking a nap during my Zoom lecture or waiting until the very last minute to do a miniscule homework assignment.
I so dearly miss the days where my dorm parent would make sure I was aptly doing homework in my room during nighttime study hall - something I used to dread in high school. However, it was time for me to take control of my life and dictate my future. While, yes, school can be hard and down right soul-crushing sometimes, there is nothing anyone can regret more than not making the most of the present time. In retrospect, we are only so young for such a short amount of time. Just like that, in about two and a half years, I will not be missing my high school days, but instead, the days in my early twenties: late nights out, Ann Arbor restaurants, and “Would you rather?” games with my roommate.
Although I miss the memories and connections I made in my little school tucked between hills, there is so much more to look forward to in life instead of looking back. We cannot take back missed time or hold on to regrets; though I wish I could go back for just one day, there are so many things I can look forward to now: Homecoming football games in a sea of maize and blue, not having to pretend I’m sleeping at 11pm so I can use my phone after lights out, and going to college formals where I can dance and scream at the top of my lungs with my best friends. These are the moments I look forward to now. I will always have my high school sisters just a phone call away, as my closest teachers and coaches will be ready for me to come visit.
At first, going from a boarding school all the way to the Big10 seemed like a nightmare. Though, in reality, it was the best decision I ever made - quite like the one I made six years ago to put aside my doubt and start a new adventure five hours from home. Now, ten hours away, I would not be ready for such a drastic change from my little home in Southern Virginia to the Midwest if it were not for my 180 person strong, all girls school. While college can be hard, it is really what you make of it. As such, I am no longer texting my old coach just to tell her “college is so hard, Blaumie,” but, instead, “I can’t wait for what the next two years have in store.”