SEANNA WENGRYN

Austin O’brien Catholic High School

I am a strong believer that the most important things you remember about a person are the impression they made walking into your life, and the impact they have had once they’re gone.

The first class I ever walked into at Austin O’brien was my Block 1 English class. The first thing I thought to myself during this class was, “Wow, everybody is so unique and authentic.” I know that sounds very simplistic — everybody should be different from one another — but at this time, it was something I had rarely seen before. They were able to really express and accentuate their uniqueness, which isn’t very common anymore.

The next thing I noticed was that after the first bell, in the hallways, people kept introducing themselves to me. The sense of community and warmth was incredible. I felt welcomed into this school after only two hours of being there.

During the rest of my day, I slowly learned more and more things about my graduating class. Something that really astonished me was that there were senior football players in the band program. Never in all my years have I heard of a school being so non-stereotypical that football players would also be in the band.

What I learned after that experience is how incredible the environment and atmosphere of the school is. This was strongly reinforced by my fellow graduates. What I came to realize is that the level of community and honesty that they bring to not just this school, but to this city, is incredible. When I walked out of school that day, I was left completely speechless.

As my last day of Grade 12 came a little sooner than later, I want to tell you the impact that my graduating class has made on me. The first thing is that I now love to wake up every single morning and drive for 45 minutes to school, from the opposite side of the city.

I now look forward to waking up early and coming to see my friends. They brought a spark of life back into me, showing me how to live as the best version of myself. They taught me to always stay humble and kind to everybody I meet, because you never know what they may be going through outside of school. They showed me the true meaning of gratitude. Humility. Passion. Motivation.

I am now hopeful and excited for my future beyond high school, because I know that I came from a school that has completely revived my outlook on life.

Seanna Wengryn is the co-president of the 2020 Grad Council at Austin O’brien Catholic High School. To read her message in its entirety, go online to edmontonjournal.com/grad2020