Mai Nguyen

I never expected these four years of high school to pass by so quickly. Each year brought new challenges that make everyday worth waking up early for. Looking back, I struggled a lot between pursuing my passion and focusing on school. There was a large gap between me and my parents when it comes to deciding what was best for my future. Time has passed since then. I’m a little older and wiser and I’m ready to move on to the next chapter of my life.

Art has been my creative outlet for whenever I feel like letting out my bottled up emotions. Ever since I received my first drawing tablet, I found out how much I wanted to learn and explore fun programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Taking classes like digital media inspired me to look into who I wanted to be. Nothing feels better than seeing your art displayed for all who pass by. To me, it came naturally to make a connection with others through my art.

As senior year comes to an end, I realize that we’ve taken a lot of things for granted. I don’t want to mention the pandemic, but it’s affected the lives of many all around the world. I would miss ordinary things like walking home from school with my friends, going to church, and even sitting down in a restaurant. I long to see the familiar faces of my peers and share a laugh with my friends. It’s been different trying to adjust to online classes and virtual orientations.

High school may have ended on a bittersweet note, but we should hold our heads high and continue to move forward. It’s been a wonderful journey with everyone on The Howler—I enjoyed every single moment of it.