Once upon a time, someone told me that Junior year was the hardest year of high school. Now, as a senior, I would beg to differ. Nearly one third through the year, I can say that this year is no easier than Junior year academically, with the addition of Senior responsibilities and activities. From writing my college applications to being a prefect to giving tours, writing toadblogs, and captaining the illustrious cross country team, I would say that this is the busiest I have ever been. Yet these past months have been some of the most rewarding and enjoyable months of my life. Lately, I have been very invested in cross country, which has become one of my passions since I came to Thacher. Last Wednesday, our team competed in the Condor League Championships at Midland, where six Thacher runners finished in the top ten! Now we are going into the post-season, where we will run three playoff races every weekend until Thanksgiving, hopefully ending in the State Championships in Fresno. As a senior, I think about cross country differently. I realize that this is my last opportunity to have the chance to go to State, and without the ability to consider “next year,” I am fully invested in my team’s success. The same goes true for a lot of other things. Every once in a while I stop to appreciate aspects of Thacher that I won’t have the privilege of enjoying next year. Right now, I’m learning about Optimization in my AP Calculus class, and though it is challenging, it is rewarding to find that I am wrapping my head around ideas that complex. As I round the corner onto the final stretch of my Thacher experience, I’m intent on Optimizing it, full speed ahead!