Congratulations Class of 2010

Congratulations Class of 2010.

Last Thursday, my younger sister’s big day had finally come. After four years of hard work and dedication, her final year of High School was over. Time had gone by faster than she could have ever imagined. The past nine months she spent taking in every moment she could, knowing there would be a lot of lasts and no turning back.

Senior year of High School is such a bittersweet year. You are filled with excitement of what is next to come, saddened to leave the friends and experiences you have made, all the while preparing for the next chapter of your life.

Watching my little sister walk across our football field dressed head to toe in her gold gown, pride immediately poured into my heart. It was hard for me to fathom that I was in her shoes six years ago to the day. I was excited, sad, and nervous for what the future would hold. As they read my sister's while she walked across the stage to receive her diploma, the moment she had been waiting for had come. My baby sister was now a graduate, venturing on to the next chapter of her life- college.
As time goes by, friends and family comment on how much we are alike. We not only look related, but our voices are almost impossible to decipher between, making it harder to tell us apart. My sister has followed in my footsteps growing up and I could not be more proud. Having been her babysitter, volleyball coach, and idol, I have played many roles in my sisters life, but beneath them all, I am her sister.

As she prepares to enter Michigan State as a Freshman this Fall, I cannot help but feel excitement. My four years at MSU were life changing and unforgettable. To think she will be taking classes at the Communications Building, cheering in the sports arenas for my same team, and living life as a true Spartan, just like her big sister. I could not have asked for a better sister and I know we will continue to grow closer as each year passes. Being seven years apart has been difficult for us to relate to each other, but now as she finds her path in life, I know I will be at her side the whole time.

Graduating high school is like a bird learning how to fly. You are thrilled to have this new freedom and are eager to see where your wings will take you. Yet this new freedom can make you feel scared and nervous to leave the place you feel safe and secure. Thankfully she will always have the love and support of her family and friends to keep her going strong and people to turn too when she needs help. Congratulations Amanda. I am so proud of you and I know you will do great things.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~Mark Twain