As the Groton return date rolls quickly around the corner and I prepare to head back to the Circle, I can’t help but reminisce back to my first journey to the Circle. As I look back, I laugh at my eighth-grade self, still so young but feeling so grown-up—ready to conquer the challenges ahead. And while I still feel that eighth-grade self deep down within me, there was no way I could have prepared for the ways in which Groton would change who I was. I look back at the people I met here, the people I am lucky enough to have had play roles in my life.
I believe that my time at Groton can best be described with the analogy of a car. I began my journey as the young fourteen-year-old sitting in the back, with little to no major cares. I would watch out the back window as the older students I looked up to handled the wheel. My freshman and sophomore year, I had moved to the passenger seat. Rather than distracted in the back, I experienced the same Groton that my mentors did and I watched from the passenger seat, slowly learning how to navigate the difficult challenges that come with Groton.
Now however, I am overwhelmed with strong senses of both nervousness and excitement as it is finally my turn to take over the driver’s seat, which I have admired for so long. It is now my turn to be a leader on this campus so that others may take over that passenger and backseat—and while it is nerve-wracking, I don’t think there is anything better than growing up while watching the people who mean the most to you grow up with you. I am excited to see where this journey takes us.