Senior Portrait

I recently came across the viewbook of my senior portraits. I thought this had been lost in the craziness that surrounded my senior year but apparently mom was smart about keeping it safe. So many memories from that year and I almost feel like I'm reliving it given the amount of time I've spent at Catalina the past few days. All of my ring week memories are coming back to me and it's incredible to watch a whole new generation experience it. These girls were freshmen when I left, just forming their Catalina memories for the first time, and now suddenly they're having their own ring week and my girls somehow grew up and became seniors in the amount of time since I graduated. It's weird that while I still feel immensely connected to Catalina and that I will most likely end up working there, I still feel like it's right to have graduated as much as I protested against this feeling while it was happening. I can now offer advice and wisdom that was foreign to me as a student and have insight on events that would have disrupted my world in a large way back in my high school days. It's weird and special how this school changes you and although you may never feel quite as comfortable on the campus again, you know that a part of you will always belong. These halls still feel as familiar to me now as they did when I was rushing from class to class, hoping my homework was finished and praying for an early dismissal. My memories of the plays in the PAC, the spontaneity yet consistently of assembly, and the joy that surrounded every Shakespeare festival and Ecco/Accent concert, and anticipation of spirit days are as fresh as if they happened yesterday. While they also feel like they are part of my distant past, they are very defining of who I am today. These memories never quite leave you. And as much as you try to explain to others what it means to have gone to Catalina, words never seem to fully express the camaraderie and spirit one experiences as a Catalina girl. I can say that I have been changed by this school and my love and devotion to its academic and artistic excellence has never wavered. Many can attest to this fact considering I have become 'the alum who never left', consistently returning month after month to say hello to former teachers and greet the classmates who were babies when I left but are suddenly so close to adulthood it makes my heart jump. I feel as if I will always be visiting and always finding some excuse to wrap myself in the warmth and joy that is the Catalina spirit. And as our alma mater says, "Catalina, may your spirit last forever. Live within our hearts and breathe new life into each endeavor". This is a philosophy that follows us all around. Whether we acknowledge it or not, it pokes at our conscience and has a tendency to perk up whenever we attempt to take on a new challenge or make an important decision. It's something that graduates with you--not that you graduate from.