“And the universe said I love you because you are love.” This is the final stanza in the ‘End’ poem in Minecraft, the poem you read once you defeat the Ender dragon and return to the normal world. The poem that follows me after I shut off my laptop, while I grow from an adolescent teenage girl into a young woman.
Fourteen-year-old me would have never imagined the accomplishments that would come. Graduating high school with high honors, being in numerous honor societies and clubs with leadership positions and getting into a good university. In middle school, I could have never imagined making it this far in life, or even getting into one of Long Island’s top universities.
As a fourteen-year-old girl fresh out of a world-wide lockdown, high school seemed like the scariest thing in the universe. I wanted to go as far away from the real world as possible. I wanted to turn on my laptop and escape through Minecraft. But “the universe said everything you need is within you, and the universe said you are stronger than you know.”
In Minecraft, you must overcome your own fears and self-doubt to succeed. To find iron, you need to go deep into the caves, and to find diamonds you must go even deeper. Throughout high school, I learned how to overcome my fears to succeed.
Mr. O’Neill, one of my science teachers, taught me that the anxious feelings in my stomach before presentations were actually “butterflies.” Although the thought of comparing my anxiousness with mere bugs seems silly, it was one of the rare occasions that a high school teacher had said something that would follow me for my entire life.
Ms. Calvo, my fashion teacher, also taught me that change did not have to be negative. She had written to me, “Things will always change. Even you. Go with it. Stay calm and move on.” She has written annual letters of advice for the summer like that since sophomore year; all of which I have treasured. She had shown me that change was inevitable, and change was good.
As I am nearing the end of my high school career, I would like to give my biggest thank you to my parents. I could write about them until my hands bled from typing, I could pray for them till my hands became glued together, and I could thank them till those were the only words I could speak, yet that still would not be enough.
To be able to cross countries, learn new languages, raise a whole family, and break the cycle alone is something that could never go unnoticed. Everything I do is to be able to carry my mother and father’s name into the future and to pay respect for all their hard work.
My brothers also deserve a huge thank you. Without them, I would not be here now. They are my torches I bring with me on my greatest expeditions – in every lifetime, universe, video game, or whatever comes after this.
“The game was over, and the player woke up from the dream.” These words haunt me as I near the end of my high school career.
“And the player began a new dream. And the player dreamed again, dreamed better.” These words flood my mind as I think of my future – what I want to major in, the stories I want to tell, and the things I want to experience.
“And the player was the universe. And the player was love.” To the upcoming seniors, remember: you are the player, and the game goes on. Wake up.