Sometimes when I think about all the things the class of 2020 has lost, I fail to consider how I would feel if the same thing happened to me as a senior. Looking back, so many things that take place over the last semester of senior year don’t seem as important to me at 33 years old. Of course, when compared with marriage, the birth of children, moving across the country, and a variety of other things that have taken place in my adulthood, my state debate championship that would have been cancelled had a I been a senior this year, just doesn’t seem like a big deal.

But when I think for a moment about how so many moments in my last semester of high school felt at the time, I feel such sadness for these students. I’m not going to list all the things they are missing, but I know if I were in their shoes, I would be crushed under the loss of so many moments that were stolen. Yet, even in this chaos, these students are graduating, and they are creating special memories.

In lieu of a graduation walk, Lily’s neighborhood organized a parade where seniors could decorate their homes, and receive congratulations from friends and family as they drove by. Lily’s mom wanted a few photos of Lily with her decorations, and also a few images to be used in the fall as Lily plans to participate in rush at the University of Texas at Austin. I was honored to grab some really great moments right in the front and backyard of her home.

Lily will be part of the Theatre program at UT, which is the same program I graduated from, entering the school in the fall of 2005, 15 years ago. This connection made me feel extra sentimental as I captured her enthusiasm for the next phase of life, posing in front of a giant Hook ‘em sign her mom made. I have no idea what life is like at any other university, but my years at Texas, specifically in the Theatre program, were incredibly fun and meaningful. I know that Lily is going to make so many incredible memories in the coming years, and I can’t wait to see where she goes in life.- J