Haruki Murakami, the author of “Kafka on the Shore,” once wrote, “Once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” 

I think we all could agree that we’ve been emerging from quite a storm this last year in many aspects of our lives, but there is always a storm on the horizon.

You might think of this as some sort of allegory for high school and perhaps teenage trials and tribulations- turbulence we’ve all experienced at some point in our lives. And while that may not be the case for some, every moment of our life is a sort of storm, whether it be a college exam or a job interview or embarking on an unknown journey. All these storms will continue to roll in- some strong and destructive, others just a sprinkle and refreshing. 

Now, it might be a bit foggy at this moment, but we know the sun will break through later. There is no predicting what is absolutely ahead, other than there will be more storms to weather. 

This is where our experience of the past four years comes back into play. Whether you played a sport or were in ASB, AVID, D-Tech or the Dragon Press, your collective ventures have all been leading up to this seemingly pivotal moment of graduation. All these things that have tested us end up being testaments to our strength, our resilience. Ultimately we might not be aware of how we got into the eye of a storm, but we can bask in the glow of the light as we emerge better, stronger people- graduates.

What we don’t want to do is interpret a storm as something negative. Think about it, the wind allows seeds, just like our ideas, to spread far and wide. Rain nourishes the earth and the sun then causes life, us really, to grow, just like we will as we leave Foothill. Each storm will help us flourish and become kinder, more empathetic and thoughtful people who are ready to change the world.