Autumn nearly upon us means pumpkin spice lattes, Halloween, listening to Red (Taylor’s Version) on repeat, and changing leaves. 

Much like the leaves all around us, as my senior year started, I felt like everything was changing. Our school day was extended by 15 minutes, changing the entire bell schedule. We got a new high school principal and a new ag teacher. Class without the previous year’s seniors was not the same. On top of these changes, it was time to start making important decisions like where I wanted to go to college and what I wanted to do with my life. It all felt a little overwhelming.

As the school year began, I was reluctant to accept these changes. I missed the old schedule, and more importantly, my ag teacher, Ms. Taylor, who was now hours away. Things were different, and I did not want them to change.

Change can be tough. It is so easy to stick to what we know and are comfortable with, to never try anything new. Scary as it might be, without change, we would never grow. New experiences are often for the better. In just a few short weeks, my new ag teacher, Mrs. Chaney, has taught me a lot and brought countless new ideas to my school’s ag program that we otherwise would have missed out on. The new bell schedule I initially disliked has made it easier to get to class on time, and being without the past seniors has helped me branch out and make new friends.

To learn and grow, we have to be willing to adapt and keep an open mind to new people, ideas, and opportunities — all which might impact us for the better. Rather than fearing change, we should embrace it with the same enthusiasm as a child jumping into a pile of freshly raked leaves.