A phone call is all it takes to change a life.

Almost five years ago, I was whiling away my summer vacation at home. About a week before I started high school, I was sitting in my parents’ room when the phone rang. My mother answered it.

Coral Reef Senior High School was calling.

I had applied to Coral Reef during eighth grade but I was not offered admission. When the school called during the summer, they offered me a spot in their class of 2011.

Before I even answered them, my mother politely told them that I was going to attend Miami Palmetto Senior High School and hung up the phone.

Little did I know then how the outcome of that phone call would change my life.

I still remember the first minute of high school, when I innocently thought to myself in my Spanish III class that I was officially a high school student. Back then, four years seemed like an eternity.

As I face the last two days of my high school career, I now realize how short those four years were. I had such an incredible experience at Palmetto that it’s difficult to describe on paper, and I feel deeply thankful to my family, friends, teachers, the administration, and the dozens of other individuals I have met along the way.

I know that I will carry the memories I made at Palmetto with me until the very end. I will never forget standing in line at Space Mountain during Grad Nite chanting “Hey, Palmetto, hey, hey Palmetto,” with hundreds of other seniors; taking my first AP class with Mrs. Farkas; traveling to Washington D.C. and Orlando with the newspaper and TVP staffs; seeing my first article published in the newspaper; and countless other memories that have shaped my high school career.

There were several times throughout high school when people, even close friends and family, told me that I had to give something up. Were there times when I considered following their advice? Of course. But my ultimate decision to continue my endeavors has shaped my character and provided me with an enriching learning experience both in and out of the classroom.

High school didn’t just teach me how to write an essay, solve a math problem, memorize dates, and study a chemical reaction. It taught me about my personal limits, how to work with others, the impact of choices, the importance of accepting responsibility for my decisions and my shortcomings, and as cliché as it sounds, to never give up.

If there’s one thing that you should learn from your high school experience, consider that ultimately your decisions shape your experience. This is your life, and your memories from Palmetto can only be influenced by your decisions. If you find a passion, pursue it. If you make mistakes, remember that we all make mistakes, and learn from them. When you succeed, take pride in your accomplishments and push yourself to continue working hard. If you find yourself struggling, I can confidently tell you that there’s someone at this school who can help you.

Not only did I learn about myself during high school, but my experience prepared me for the future. In the fall, I will attend Washington University in St. Louis as a member of the class of 2015. 2015 sounds so far away to me. But then I think back to that phone call five years ago. It’s hard to believe that I’m a senior now and I will receive my long-awaited diploma on Friday.

Luckily for me, though, it was all worth it.