I always thought I would be ready. Since we walked into school in August for the last first time, the countdown has been on. We wished away the days like we were making wishing from dandelions, ready to pack up our high school career and be on our merry way.

But even long before then, I thought I would be ready. My pudgy, brace-faced freshman self walked into high school certain that I would float my way to graduation day unnoticed, insignificant and ready to get as far away from Kansas as possible.

But here I am, days away from graduating, watching all the lasts pass by, realizing how wrong I was and wondering if I’m really ready.

I believe we are always on a journey to find ourselves. A road trip with no destination. And I’m not just saying that because I believe “Life is a Highway” is the greatest musical masterpiece ever made. I thought high school would be like driving across Kansas — boring, uneventful and unimportant. But I found pieces of myself key to my existence in these four years.

I found my love for running, which is now a large part of who I am. As a timid sophomore, I sporadically joined the track team, and now I’ve run two marathons and can’t imagine a life without it.

I found my confidence. As a girl who entered high school constantly trying to blend in, I turned into the insane person making signs at sports games, running the flags and doing my signature dance move, the cartwheel splits, every opportunity I could get. Also shoutout to HoopFocus for giving “Sign Girl” her 24 hours of fame.

I found my love for coffee when I was riddled with hours upon hours of homework. I found my hatred for physics when I failed the final and watched my grade plummet 8 percent. And I found some of my best friends when I least expected to.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy about my last time getting cut-off in the parking lot by a freshman mom. Or about my last AP Lit essay or AP Calc Video.

I discovered a lot about myself in these years and as these lasts roll by, some are getting harder to grasp.

My last track race and last championship donuts. The last GRRR and last assembly. Even this last piece of writing for the newspaper. And pretty soon, my last time in BV as a Tiger.

I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t wish away your days here because one day you will wake up and there won’t be many, if any, left. Don’t get caught up in the daily complaints and hardships of high school that you don’t realize the little things that you can never experience again.

Pretty soon I am going to be as far away from Kansas as possible, as my freshman self predicted. I am excited about the future and what is to come, but I was so wrong in that my time here was anything but insignificant.