If my calculations are correct, I’ve spent at least 14,000 minutes in room 177 this year, leading lunch meetings, paste-ups and block periods. That’s not even including the conversations that often continued long after the third period bell rang, the extra time I spent poring over edits with my face dangerously close to a computer screen or all the hours I spent wracking my brain for far-fetched Barks and Bites. Some of those 14,000 minutes amounted to the longest, most stressful, most chaotic moments of the past four years, but looking back they were the ones I learned the most from.

In Bark, I’ve seen that some have the ability to see the big picture, to immediately visualize how stories and images can come together to create a page. Others are able to focus on specific details, like the choice of a word in a sentence or the alignment of photos. It’s the distinctive skills of each person that have allowed us to work as a team.

And although we often debate and disagree over miniscule details, it is from meaningful discussions that I have heard new perspectives and been able to shift my point of view. I’m thankful to be surrounded by people who are passionate enough to argue for hours about things that may seem trivial to many. 

As our 9:00 deadline looms on a paste-up night, a little bit of kindness goes a long way in helping someone finish their last page, or avoid a complete breakdown over text-wrapping an image. Seemingly unnoticeable contributions of an extra explanation, a good song or some encouragement are what I am the most thankful for. 

I approached the beginning of this year with trepidation. I wasn’t sure I was the right person for a leadership position; I had always faced the constant barrage of being told to “participate more” or “speak up” in class. I didn’t think I could control the overpowering chatter of a class of 32 people, or counter an idea in an argument. But throughout this year, I found that my devotion to this class outweighed the doubts I had. If I care enough about what I’m working towards, I’ve learned that I’m more than willing to stand in front of a class or send messages to 60 people on GroupMe. 

As I leave for college, it’s everything I’ve learned in those 14,000 seemingly small minutes that will stick with me and give me the confidence to know that I’ll find something else that is just as meaningful to me as everything I’ve done this year.

See ya later,

Kate DeForrest