Senior year: bittersweet and so surreal. How in the world have I already been a high school senior for 48 days?? It feels like just yesterday I was walking into Enloe for the first time. I didn’t know I would ever take a class like AP Latin, or join an a cappella group, or brand myself with a banana costume.
But what else is surreal? Applying to college, and the concept of Charity Ball. They both take up grueling months of planning and writing and speaking. They’re so similar it’s freaky- and this has been my experience for the past 4 months.
JUNE
It’s early, but it’s never too early to start the search. You look for colleges that interest you. Maybe you like their academics, or their clubs, or maybe your friends recommend them to you. Either way, you want it to be a good fit because your future is important to you.
It’s time to start choosing the Charity Ball benefactor. Pres/VP wants to choose a nonprofit that impacts the entire community, and the council as a whole wants to be able to get involved. They weigh the pros and cons of each organization as they continue to decide.
AUGUST
Hopefully by now your college list has been narrowed down. It’s time to figure out which teachers you want recommendations from and what topics you want to write about. And of course you start outlining those essays.
The nonprofit has been selected. This year it’s the Raleigh/Wake Partnership to End and Prevent Homelessness. And it’s not officially Charity Ball season yet, but for everyone behind the scenes, it has technically already begun.
OCTOBER
It’s all becoming real right in front of your eyes. Those early deadlines are approaching faster than you think. But you push through and you submit them on time and now? The only thing you can do is wait.
The fundraising period is here. You start contacting your relatives and calling businesses and holding events and canvassing your neighborhood and talking to everyone. The money isn’t going to make itself, after all.
DECEMBER
This part of the process is still a mystery, but you can imagine the days ticking by until you see those early admission decisions. Your whole life has basically led to this moment. And you have no idea what’s to come, but at least you’re reassured that it will be okay no matter where you end up.
Charity Week ends the fundraising with a bang. Now thousands of eyes are staring, watching, waiting. December 9 approaches. No one knows what’s on that check, but either way, it’s going to make a difference. And even if it was surreal, you know that it was all worth it.
Lucia Wang
Senior Class Senator