Story by Allie Perison
Editor in Chief

If you had asked me six weeks ago, I would have told you I was ready to get out of Coppell and start what I consider to be chapter two of my life. I would have told you  I was not going to have any sad sentiments at senior awards, prom or while writing the last story I will ever write for The Sidekick. I honestly thought I would have no feelings of remorse at the end, but I was wrong.

I guess you never really know how you are going to feel until you get there. I now find it normal to tear up when I hear songs about leaving or watch shows where the characters leave their friends to embark on their new lives at college.

That is essentially what we as seniors are all doing. We are all being offered a fresh start at a place where the majority of people (or in my case all of the people at the University of Wisconsin) don’t know us.

I have never been one to get all sappy and sentimental about things, but I just recently realized the how much is to be left behind. Coppell has been good to me. It gave me a great childhood and prepared me for something greater. And although I always considered Coppell to be a bubble and something I always strive to break away from, I can legitimately say I am going to miss it.

I always hear people say that it is never the same when you come back from college. Thinking that these are the last few weeks I will have my life the way I have always known it to be is scary. My relationship with friends will change. People who are so relevant in my life now may be replaced with new ones. We have all yet to see what is out in the real world and are just now getting the opportunity to explore what is outside of Coppell.

I will never forget where I came from though. I will miss everything from my sometimes overly supportive Mom who cheered me on throughout all of my childhood to my best friends who assisted me in what we considered epic shenanigans to my newspaper adviser who gave me the foundation for what I one day hope to do with my life. These are all of the things that shaped me into what I am now. It all left a mark.

Chapter one of my life is about to end. I am ready for a full summer starting with a senior trip to Brazil with my best friends and ending with tearful goodbyes. This is only the beginning.