Sai Sailaja Seshadri

Staff Writer

@saisailu97

Anyone that knows me well is aware of the fact that I constantly talk about leaving – leaving high school, leaving Texas, going off to a new place and experiencing new things. It was my weekly mantra to count down how many weeks I have left until I am done here.

But as the year comes to a close, I have realized that for once, I want to stay in the moment and cherish these last few days I have as a Coppell High School student.

I moved to Coppell at the beginning of sophomore year, and it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. The fact that I was moving to a whole new country itself, from Mississauga, Ontario, in Canada to the United States and to the south, did not make it any easier.

I constantly had people ask me if I had a Canadian accent, if maple syrup was my favorite food, and whether or not I lived in an igloo and rode a polar bear to school. I was also constantly longing for ketchup chips, kinder eggs and Tim Hortons hot chocolate.

I struggled for a long time with being in a new place.  Leaving behind a house with years of memories, a town that I knew almost every inch of and the type of friends who I could call at 3 a.m. was extremely difficult. I constantly thought about the past, and for a long time, that came in the way of me moving on and experiencing new things.

However, Coppell slowly started to grow on me, and I was able to find a balance between keeping my old life a part of me but also making sure I did not miss out on the present.

If there is any one piece of advice that I would give to others, based on the memories I have made at CHS, it is this: do not miss out on the high school experience. Going to homecoming and prom, attending football games, taking hundreds of pictures and hanging out with friends – it might not seem like a big deal at the time, but later on, you will realize just how precious all those experiences are.

Be a little cliche. It’s OK.

The one high school experience that will stick with me most, however, was joining the newspaper.

Taking Sidekick senior year was a last minute decision. I decided to sign up for this class just a few weeks before junior year ended, but it is one of the best decisions I have made. Not only was I able to meet so many amazing new people, I also became part of something that I am incredibly proud of. The stories that I have written this year have allowed me to create something that I can call my own. I have fallen in love with The Sidekick so much that I have decided I still want journalism to be a part of my college career in one way or another.

As I move on to Arizona State University, I am excited to meet new people, take a variety of courses, and start on the path to a successful career. I will also be the assistant social media editor for ASU’s newspaper, The State Press, a job that I am really looking forward to.

While I cannot deny that I am definitely looking forward to graduating and moving on, I also have to admit that I will be one of the people tearing up and getting emotional at graduation.

So thank you, CHS, for giving me three years worth of memories and education. Thank you, to every single person I have talked to in this high school, for being a part of my life, even if for just a few minutes.

Thank you to the people who have done me wrong, because you showed me that even if bad things happen, I can still move on. Most of all, thank you Sidekick, and adviser Chase Wofford, for giving me a family that I will miss immensely next year.

And as I leave this wonderful place I call home, all I have to say is…FORK ‘EM!