If I have learned one thing this year, it is that absolutely nothing happens the way you would expect. I distinctly remember my ring day last year. I was so focused on the stress of AP and upcoming SAT subject tests that I simply saw the day as a peaceful, yet brief hiatus from my otherwise hectic life.
But ring day is much more than that. Ring day is a defining moment. You, as juniors, are entering a chapter in your lives that I promise is unlike anything you have experienced. In the upcoming months, your parents, teachers, and guidance counselors will expect you to write essays highlighting the essence of who you are as sixteen or seventeen-year-olds. You will also be expected to envision where you see yourselves living for the next four years of your lives. So to a certain extent, you will be asked to make many decisions that may seem immensely overwhelming in the moment.
But as you receive your rings today, look around at your classmates. Look around at the girls with whom you have spent the last three years. You have struggled through every hard test, bonded over various Kairos activities, and grown together as Convent of the Sacred Heart students. Take in this moment, and try to ignore the anxiety from schoolwork, upcoming college applications, and standardized tests. Trust me, I have been there, and I know exactly how overwhelming it all seems.