June 17, 2021

Editor’s Note: Molly Wetsch is 2021 graduate of Lincoln High School and served as the editor-in-chief of the Statesman. This is the last in a series of columns she has written about her experiences this year as a high school senior.

I’ve thought of my high school graduation almost every day since it happened. Now officially two weeks past such a large milestone, I have trouble quantifying the actual effect that my senior year has had on me.

How do you explain to anyone what it means to graduate during a pandemic? I can’t say for sure that it’s the same for everyone else, but to me, it means that I, like my classmates, am unique in a way.

Although I may consider myself unique, my graduation ceremony likely was similar to thousands of others that have occurred in years prior. Class speakers, a message from the principal and the mind-numbing calling of the names and receipt of the diplomas were characteristic of mine and many others’ experiences.

In the context of this year, though, my graduation was unique. Almost 400 high school students sitting in one space, friends and family watching them in person? Getting to walk across a real-life stage and be handed a diploma by an actual human being? In 2020, that would be almost unthinkable. Now, though, as we return to what could be called normalcy, it seems almost mundane, just another senior year ritual that I must sit through.

I know well enough to be grateful that I feel this way. I saw firsthand the absolute devastation that was a senior year cut short and later felt similarly when my culminating year was in flux.

There’s a quote from Socrates that I’ve referenced frequently throughout my senior year as an anchor of sorts — perhaps it just has been used to keep me sane.

“Let him that would move the world first move himself.”

I can relate to this quote for two reasons: one, because I’ve always wanted to “move the world” and also because this year took a lot of self-movement.

I’ve had to learn that it’s not enough to just want it, even if you want it really bad. There comes a point where you have to be willing to be a self-starter and take a risk. This year, we took charge instead of letting others dictate our experience. This was demonstrated the entire year, whether it be a group of fewer than 10 parents planning a prom for the entire senior class or classmates being accepted into Ivy League and other elite universities because of their absolute dedication to getting it done.

I know the class of 2021 will succeed because I’ve seen us do it already. In fact, I would say that graduating high school is a grand success in and of itself, one that promises an incredible adventure.

Wherever this next year and the rest of our lives take us, I am certain that the lessons learned, what we’ve gained and lost, and the people that have carried us to this point will keep us moving, no matter what happens next.

My final message to the class of 2021 is simple: Move yourself first. The world can — and will — come later.

A Senior’s Story: The prom edition