As an annual tradition, each year Bear Facts asks a graduating senior to record his or her experiences In a multi-part column that will continue throughout the year, taking us through the uncertain journey that is senior year. This year, we have the honor of having senior Christiana Restucci bring us through her highly unique experiences.

College applications, class ranking, letters of recommendation: I’ve heard these words a thousand times a day, Monday through Friday, ever since the school year began. It seems every senior around me is just itching to get that acceptance letter to their top school and go far away from Brewster, as far as they can (and then some!). And don’t get me wrong, I am anxiously awaiting my letter just as much as the next person. However, I seem to differ from many of my peers in the sense that I’m not so ready to say goodbye to my hometown and just up and leave my life here.
Independence is something I’ve craved my entire life. I’ve gotten small doses of it as I continue to grow up. It started with small acts (like my parents letting me pick out my own outfits for school without their help) and it blossomed into the huge thing that is owning a car and being able to drive wherever I please. I’m excited that my journey into independence won’t stop here, because in college, I’ll be all on my own.
But with all that being said, I really do love my life here in Brewster. I love my friends, I love my family, I love my cats, I love my routines! I find comfort all around me because everywhere I look there is something that I have had for seemingly forever: Starbucks after school with friends, listening to records in my room, softball games and practices in the spring.
You might be rolling your eyes reading this, wanting to tell me that I will form new routines and make new friends at college. And you are 100% correct; I am confident that I will settle into, and very much enjoy, living on campus. I love the idea of having more control over my life. And truthfully, my top school is only an hour and a half from home, so I will never be too far from my hometown and my loved ones. But being a teenager, and getting to see my family every day: these are things I’ll never get back.
Lately, I have been making a point to try to feed off everyone else’s excitement about the future. Like me, everyone seems to be scared, but they are also so excited to start anew. I’m trying my best to see it their way and accept the changes that lie ahead, but I don’t know if anything will prepare me for the big change that is living away from home for the first time.
High school is where you’re supposed to find yourself. Everyone seems to come into high school a completely different person than when they leave. I have definitely found myself, and I can confidently say that I am happy with who I am. I guess that’s why it’s so important for me to hold onto this phase of life, and why it’s so difficult for me to face the reality that in less than a year, everything will be different. It feels like my happiness is being ripped away from me, and I’m just not quite ready for what’s next.
I am choosing to omit the negatives about being in high school, about living in Brewster, even about living in New York, because there is no sense in wasting energy on that. Time is fleeting, and as we all know, we’ll never get these years back. Moral of the story– treasure what you have right now because even if you don’t think you’ll miss it, you will.