The Marathon Continues

By Aditya Kulashekar

I’ll be honest. It took a while to write this reflection. I don’t want to reflect on my time at Westmont, because I still haven’t come to terms with the fact that my time as a Warrior is in fact, over. It’s hard to reflect on something that you don’t even have closure on. But here it goes.

I walked into high school a shy, timid, yet confident freshman. Standing at a towering 4’11,” I thought high school was going to be a breeze. Quickly, I was humbled. High school was a completely different monster compared to middle school. However, with the help of amazing teachers, who happily answered every stupid question I ever asked, and friends, who provided me unforgettable memories, those feelings quickly went away. I also joined the Speech and Debate club at the beginning of freshman year, and that was easily the best decision I made. Although there were only seven members of the team, they all helped me step out of my shy bubble and learn how to better communicate with others. I got further involved on campus, getting to know my peers better and growing personally, as well. Through high school, I embraced my passion for history and politics, and ultimately found myself and found who I wanted to be in the future. In retrospect, comparing my freshman self and my current self, I feel like I’m comparing two completely different people.

At the end of freshman year, I received meaningful advice from a graduating senior, who told me, “Remember that life is a marathon and not a sprint; sometimes you’ll be ahead, sometimes behind, but ultimately, your only opponent is yourself.” Those words had a profound impact on me. All of us start in the same place. We were all freshmen at one point. We’re all graduating (at some point). But the mistake I made and a concept I failed to grasp for a long time was that I couldn’t control what other people do and what happens to me. Life is such a complex combination of personal decisions and external factors that it’s impossible to control other people and outside factors. I learned in the last four years that not everything had to go my way, but rather, it's how you adapt to certain situations that creates success. I’ve been able to understand that a little more recently, and it’s that mindset that has helped me grow into the person I am today. I look back on the last four years with no regret. What’s done is all in the past. Although my time at Westmont is over, I’m extremely glad that I’ll forever be a Warrior.