Well I guess I’ll start at the beginning. I started high school excited, with a lot of friends that I thought were going to be with me for my whole life. It was a Covid free time and I didn’t really have to worry about social distance, let alone wearing a mask. I guess you could say I was friendly and sociable. I didn’t really think too much about racial issues or have to worry about fake people because four years ago that wasn’t really being thrown in my face as much as it is now.
Over these past four years, I’d like to think I’ve grown a lot though. Becoming who I've always wanted to be but never had the courage to. Whether that be because of fear, or even just because I used to care about what people thought. Now, I’ve come to find that the more I become who I want to be, the more the right people come my way and the wrong ones leave.
My senior year was probably one of the worst and best high school years. Even though I didn’t step foot in Hazel Green for any class this year due to Covid, I still was able to learn other lessons. I realized that online school is not for everybody, and some of those so-called “friends” weren’t for me either. I’m thankful for the time I spent cooped up in the house, for a year, because that isolation forced me to fight my inner demons and reevaluate myself. It gave me courage to really not care about what others thought or said about me at all. The events that took place in 2020 and early 2021 also exposed a lot of people I used to hang with. It made me realize that not everyone is on your side, and when things get real the fake will be exposed, and they were.
My view of the world changed this year too. I’ve come to realize this world, our country, isn't as “Great” as they made it seem in school. I always knew injustice occurred but it became more evident to me than ever this year and I will never look at things the same again. Despite high school being mostly terrible with its plus sides here and there, outside of school God blessed me with the opportunity of a lifetime. Since I was thirteen, I’ve been consistent with sharpening my skills in film. I created my first big short film with actors, sets, crew, and even spent hours writing my script for SUNDOWN.
It was a roller coaster of emotions, but in the end I finished it and that is the highlight of my senior year. To those who’ve supported, loved, encouraged, and celebrated me, I wanna say thank you. I couldn’t have gotten through high school without you all. I’m ready to get this whole graduation thing over with and begin my next journey in life and see what God has planned for me.
-Amiya Poplar