One of my favorite kindergarten memories is when my class raised butterflies. Each day, we’d gather around the mesh habitat and watch as the butterflies transformed from caterpillars to majestic monarchs. When it came time to release them, we would go out on the black top of the playground and watch the sky fill with orange as the monarchs fluttered away, heading somewhere new.
I’ve done a lot of reflecting this year. College applications have required me to look back on my proudest moments and reflect on troubling times. A few days ago, I came across a picture of my kindergarten Halloween costume. That picture brought all the pieces together.
High school, I’ve realized, is its own version of metamorphosis. Freshman year for me seemed like I was a caterpillar. Lost in a brand new school full of people that were taller and more confident than me and having heaps of new responsibilities. Sophomore and junior year were my chrysalis– confusing, isolating and a drag. It’s kind of the stage where you start to change but it’s not quite noticeable yet. But senior year is where things start to unfold. You become a butterfly, leaning into your true self and what has brought you to where you are today. It’s bittersweet and sometimes hard to believe.
The most important thing that the butterflies taught me back then, and what I am still thinking about now, is that every stage of our lives matters. From caterpillar to butterfly, freshman year to senior year (and in between), there are necessary moments of learning and accomplishment, disappointments and growth. Each moment, whether it was nervously trying to find my classes freshman year or standing under fluorescent lights at the Marv on Friday nights, leading cheers and realizing how much I’ve grown, has molded me into the person I am today, and who I am becoming.
As you turn the pages in Issue 2 of Arlingtonian, I invite you to reflect on where you are today, and learn about what more you can do. Whether you’re a freshman beginning their second quarter of high school or a senior with 3 quarters left to go, take a moment to pause and reflect. Reflection will allow you to appreciate how far you have come and how far you will continue to go, as you flutter off into the future.
