My early applications are in, I have received one college acceptance, and the reality of moving away next year has started to set in. I have already had my Last First Day at Montrose, my last Montrose Halloween and now it is time for my Last “High School” Thanksgiving. When I first began to think of the idea, I didn’t really think that it would be much different next year. There will still be turkey, stuffing and football and lots of time spent with family. However, I have come to realize that Thanksgiving next year is going to be more of a homecoming for me. Who knows how long I will be able to stay for, or if I will even have enough time to come home for Thanksgiving – depending on where I end up going to college. Regardless, it will be different. I will have completed the first three months of college, and hopefully have created a life for myself there. Next year, I will be leaving that life to return to the life that I have known for the past 17 years. For me, I think the strangest part will be coming back to my siblings. After 17 years of seeing my siblings grow (and be born) each Thanksgiving, next year I will be returning home after not being with them for so long to spend the holiday with them. Often times, the exciting part of Thanksgiving is being able to see my aunts, uncles and cousins whom I do not see every day. But the excitement for next year’s Thanksgiving is going to be being able to see my own siblings.

I think that this is one of the first steps in transitioning to adulthood. Part of leaving for college includes starting a new life in a different place. Moving out of the house includes being removed from the normal routine, but not from the whole family. Olivia Hastie ‘18 reflects, saying, “I would say after being away for 4 months coming back for Thanksgiving is so much more special. I get to see my classmates and my family. It most certainly feels different; there’s a feeling of knowing that you won’t be home all the time anymore. It kind of feels like a reason to come home now, a reason to be with family, rather than a generic holiday. I’m gonna get to see people I haven’t seen in months tomorrow when I usually see them every week. It is just a lot more special to be home. It also feels a little more like Christmas!”

I never realized how different Thanksgiving might be next year for us seniors, but there is something that will remain the same. We will all have our family and friends, and of course the delicious food that comes with it. Senior year is filled with many “lasts,” but not all of them have to be sad. This is an exciting point in our lives as we become adults and prepare to start a new chapter.