In all twelve years I have spent at Horizon, never have I experienced something so fascinating as the consumption of unpopped popcorn kernels. As one of my dear friends demonstrated, when there is no more popcorn left to eat the consumer will proceed to swallow handfuls of uncooked kernels. And this is why I love this school and all it has to offer. If there’s anything that I’ve learned in the past few years it’s that the small things are what really matter. In the long run it doesn’t matter what you wore or how many parties you went to, what really matters is how much fun you have, and boy have I had it.

Since I was nine, I have been doing ballet at the School of Ballet Arizona, and ever since then working hard hasn’t really been “optional.” This meant missing out on virtually everything that the common high school student gets to do. Not too many dances were attended (not really any actually), not too many parties were had, and homework was only done during the midnight hours after returning home. And even though it was incredibly painful, physically and emotionally, I had some incredibly great experiences.

I had always hoped that this whole “ballet thing” would turn into something more substantial than a hobby, and for me it has. For my senior year at Horizon I will get to perform with Ballet Arizona in their studio company, an achievement I didn’t think would be possible for the boring person that is me. Granted I didn’t even think I would live this long, but thinking isn’t something I like to dwell on, and besides, the future is now and it isn’t slowing down anytime soon.