As a high schooler it is hard to see our future until it is right here in front of us. With all of the distractions of the world around us it is easy to lose sight of what our goals are. Whether it be a job, trade school, a junior college, or a four year college, the fog of life makes it so we do not see it coming.

Personally, this has not been more true for me. With college acceptance letters coming out in mere weeks, especially the Universities of California, the stress of getting in or not is mounting. It is hard to believe that in a single paragraph email or in a single  page letter your entire future could be made or hindered. It is uncanny.

Looking just slightly beyond the mouth, it is hard to believe that in may just under 200 students will no longer be going to Ripon High. There will be no more clubs, no more classes, no more obscene amounts of homework and most of all there will be no more teachers. It is unfortunate to think that this very fun and amazing portion of our lives is over, and that now we have to enter the realm of the real world, but it is a simple fact of life. Things get older, people move on and life goes on, but so will we.

By Fidel Machado-Perez