Confessions of a 2021 Graduate

I came into my last year of high school at Westwood Community High School unsure of how the future would unfold but optimistic that the situation surrounding the pandemic would get better. And now, as I leave high school, the pandemic has only worsened, and the cases have skyrocketed.

At the beginning of the school year, we started classes in person, and although there were several rules to follow, the school was almost back to normal. However, soon that changed, and we returned to online school where the motivation and the hope we once had was gone again.

Despite the challenges, we tried to make the best out of the opportunities given. The students and the staff united to provide a better experience for us to live our special moments. Through our theme weeks, the senior students’ spirit and energy radiated through the school as we gave new life to the hallways.

Even though we had many limitations put on us, we always made sure to cherish the few memories we had together. In the last five years, I experienced multiple floods, one of the largest wildfires in Canadian history, and a global pandemic that halted my senior year.

And, yet I would consider myself extremely lucky because these circumstances helped shape who I am today. As I embark on new adventures, I will never forget the people that always supported me and the unforgettable times I had with them. Experiences are an opportunity for education, and it is safe to say that the last two years have been very eye-opening.

Cherish what you have and live life — moment by moment.

Eighteen-year-old Lokesh Patel is a Westwood Community High School graduate for the Class of 2021 and a former member of the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Youth. He was also an inaugural recipient of YMM Parent’s Top 20 Under 20 in 2019. Next school year, he will be attending the University of Waterloo for Mechatronics Engineering.