Each year our beloved seniors, and some juniors this year, reflect on their time and growth at The Link School. At their graduation they share a personal and creative reflection of this in response to the loose prompt “I was … But now I am …”.
Please enjoy our Year 12’s seniors’ and juniors’ “I was … But Now I Am” selections.
Rian –
I used to be scared of
So many things
Of feeling too much
Of feeling nothing
At all
I used to be afraid
Of falling
When all I wanted to do
Was fall
I used to be afraid
Of losing myself even
When there was nothing left
To lose
I used to be afraid
Of the light
I used to fear living
In the extremes of
Black and white
I used to fear losing people
I used to fear not
Finding pieces of myself
Until someone told me
I wasn’t broken
I used to fear losing
Control
I used to fear
The thorns
The broken legs
The broken fingers
I used to fear the
Parts of me that i buried
I used to be terrified
Of what might happen when
The light meets the dark
What I might do
Who I might become
Now I know
I feel too much
And not at all
I fall and I lose myself
But I am still light
I live in black and white
I lose people
I lose pieces of myself
I lose control
Broken legs
And broken fingers heal
I am the parts of me
That I buried because
Everything else got blown away
I am light and dark
And that is okay
Grace –
“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –
And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.
-Emily Dickinson
Santi –
Before coming to Link, I didn’t really feel valued in society. I felt as if I was just a normal kid with nothing to individually offer. However, once I came to Link my thoughts changed. I began finding worth within myself and began realizing that my true potential came from within. Yes, my grades went up, but at the same time, I was feeling more self-value than ever before. I didn’t want to be a person who just lives his life without ever admiring the beauty of it, I wanted more than that. I wanted to do and be great. This mindset made me more curious. I knew that my travels made me unique, so I tried to involve them in my life more. I did this by trying to look at the things around me with a more worldly viewpoint. Link also taught me selflessness, I learned that life is so much better when you do things that benefit others. If you let your ego get to you, then people will remember you by that. I, personally, would rather have people remember me by the wonderful experiences I have had and by my acts of compassion.
I know I am graduating during these different times and I expect it to be challenging. However, Link has taught me how to deal with challenges by facing them head-on instead of avoiding them. I now recognize that challenges are what shape you, and they build abilities in you that last for the rest of your life. I have also learned a lot about leadership. Leadership isn’t just about having authority and giving orders. It’s about putting others’ needs before yours. As a leader, you have to make sure that your community is healthy and happy. If you start taking advantage of your power and authority then the people who are following you will not be pleased, and your leadership, along with your community, will degrade. I have had many great leaders in my life, some here in this call and every day I look up to them, hoping to be like them in the future. I will miss this place, along with the people I have gotten to experience it with. Everyone here has had a unique role in shaping me into the person that I am and I want to thank you for it. So thank you for everything and have a great summer!
Sophia –
I was hidden
Hiding behind walls I had built inside myself
Out of fear
Afraid that if I faced what I was hiding
It would be too painful to bear
Afraid to face the parts of me that were broken
Weak
My best friend leaving
Growing up with two different lives
In two different worlds
The person in school nobody cared about
Unless it meant getting the answers for the homework
Only then would anyone talk to me
But never did anyone ask how I was doing
I continued to spiral into myself
Build thicker and thicker walls
Learned to enjoy being alone
Learned to enjoy the pain of being broken
Keeping up the front of a perfectionist
Needing to control everything to feel ok
Knowing that the moment I let this facade falter
A hurricane of pain would meet me
Because I knew deep down
The moment I let my control go
Let my walls down even a centimeter
It would mean feeling pain
A lot of it
Because there was a lot of pain from actual memories
But even more so from keeping them buried
The more I let myself feel my memories and the past
Acknowledge their reality
I can
Process, let go, forgive
The more and more I become the person I want to be
I was weak, broken, looking for acceptance
But now I am on the way to finding myself
The person I want to be
In whom reaches my full potential
The one who loves, cherishes, and gives thanks
Callyn –
I’m from cut grass
From doctor bronner’s and windex
I am from the stone door way
Welcoming, familier
I am from the big tree in the front yard
Where me and my friends could never stop playing
I’m from thanksgiving at the cabin and never ending jokes
From stop rollerblading in the house and where is your sister
From the stories that my Aunt Kathy would tell Annika and me about living with the Hansons
Victoria –
I was that shy little girl who thought everyone hated her. I was someone who cared too much what other people thought of me. I did not know what I wanted. And if I did I couldn’t stand up for it. I did not believe in myself. I was happy all the time to hide my sadness and loneliness before others and before myself. Whenever something or someone made me sad I forbid myself to cry. I couldn’t forgive people who hurt me. It is still hard but I am working on it. It is not easy for me to trust people. I am scared of being pushed away. It wasn’t always easy with my friends at Link but in fact the many challenges only made me grow.
Now I can cry in front of people. I don’t overthink what I do and say. I don’t care that much what others think of me anymore. I now know that I only have to love myself to succeed in life. I don’t need a ton of friends to be happy. I am learning to tell people how I feel. I don’t want to hide my feelings anymore. I used to always choose the easy path but now I love to take the challenge. I now feel confident in what I wear. And it is easier to speak up for myself. Link helped me to become who I am now. I gained more confidence in myself and my actions. And it doesn’t stop. It never stops. With every day, every new person I meet I gain more confidence. That’s who I am today.
Lowry –
I was lost
I can’t say I am found (what does that mean?)
I am playing hide-n-go-seek
Found temporarily and never going back to that hiding place
Hidden again…
I was not experiencing life, but now I am
Feeling lost and found.
I was oblivious, but now I am intuitive
Living with people who made me change
For the better
I was perfect, but now I am human
Grateful for the imperfections that make me who I am
I was clueless, but now I am aware
Aware of others
Aware of our world and its imperfections
Aware of the endless possibilities that life has to offer
I was driven by money, but now I am driven by life
By happiness and spontaneity
I was limited, but now I am absolute
My eyes have been opened
Through a long and unsteady journey that continues to develop
I see my life in a birds-eye-view
There is always more to learn and discover
More chances to take
Chances that allow me to reach out further
Into the abyss
I took things for granted, but now I am grateful
I was scared
I am still scared
But now I am scared of not reaching further
and not getting more out of every situation
I was scared to try things, but now I am scared not to
I was a homebody, but now I am a traveler
I was tough to the touch, but now I am vulnerable
I was inconsiderate, but now I am fair
I was the horse girl, but now I am the rock girl
I was hopeless, but now I am optimistic
I was a pond, but now I am an ocean
Only 5% explored
There is always something deeper and more challenging
The question is…
How deep am I willing to go?
The answer is…
Try me
Hayley –
I was quiet, nervous
And unsure of myself
I was scared
That I wouldn’t fit in
get good grades,
make new friends
All I wanted was to make new friends
Have good grades
I was scared of trying new activities
Like climbing,
it scared me at first
Going up and looking down
was like getting to a high point
or doing something amazing
Then falling down
and not being able to get up
Now I am outgoing
More confident
Feel accomplished with good grades
Made many new friends
And enjoy trying new activities
I love climbing,
looking at the views
I know that if I fall,
I will be able to
get back up and try again
Will –
I was lost
A wanderer with no destination
Lost in my life
Lost in my thoughts
Lost in my mistakes
Lost in my actions
Lost in the crowd
I was afraid
Afraid of time
Afraid of being myself
Afraid of the uncertainty
I was unsupported
I was told I’d never succeed
I was given false promises by the handlers of my future
Or so I thought
Now I am the handler of my future
I am a wanderer with no destination, and that’s ok
I am constantly learning
Learning from my life
Learning from my thoughts
Learning from my mistakes
I am not lost in the crowd but instead an ever moving piece of it
I am separate from time
I welcome the uncertain
I am supported
I proved the doubters wrong
And most importantly, I am myself