Pre-nostalgic- (Adj.) The emotional experience of missing, yearning for, or mourning a current moment, person, or phase of life while it is still happening.
As the Class of 2026 finishes their final months of high school, they begin to realize this is really it. They’re already missing it even though they’re still living it. Seniors sometimes feel pre-nostalgic during this year. At times it feels sad, while other times it feels good because they are ready to continue forward in their lives with exciting new memories waiting ahead of them. As the time quickly goes by, our minds start to reflect on the moments that shaped who we are, the ‘lasts’ that feel heavier for us than anticipated, and why walking these halls that have surrounded us for four years suddenly feels different.
While our senior year was supposed to be about moving forward in life, some of us are still trying to hold on. It’s the small ‘lasts’ that seem to feel the most heavy. Senior Joe Wilson says, “The heaviest moments are the moments I share with my friends at lunch, because I know this won’t last forever.”
Driving to school every day is part of our normal routine, so when the day comes for us to drive one last time it may feel different and sad. “Thinking about the last time I’ll drive to school feels the heaviest to me. It wouldn’t feel right,” senior Noah Williams said.
None of the moments that these seniors experience are dramatic milestones. They’re ordinary, but special and unique to each individual. Maybe that’s why these moments matter and mean so much. For some of us, the realization that this is the end, suddenly hits us in moments least expected. “Getting my last prom dress hit me the most and it was the moment I realized that this really is it,” senior Kaitlyn Gregory said. Williams says, “Sitting and hearing all of my friends, and everyone in general, talking about colleges and where they want to go is when it hits me that everything’s about to change for forever.”
Although senior year should be exciting, some seniors feel a bit sad and even feeling bittersweet about it. “I’m sad about graduating, because I don’t know what’s going to come next in life,” senior Morgan Phillips said. That can be scary for a lot of seniors. The fear of not knowing what will happen within this upcoming year or five years from now is anxiously frightening.
Many seniors find it hard to accept the fact that graduation is close by. Senior Cole Payne said, “I am sad about graduating as well because I really like school and getting to see my friends.”
As seniors reflect on what they’ll miss the most, many of the answers lead back to people that they were close to. Gregory says, “Being able to have time to see my friends and hanging out with them is what I’ll miss the most.”
Having close bonds with teachers can also make graduating a bit harder. “Having talks with Mr. Gunner is one of the many things I’ll miss most of all,” Wilson said. Not only is leaving our friends hard, but also leaving our favorite teachers that have stuck by our side since the beginning.
Unexpectedly, there are certain places in our school that we never knew held such precious memories. Phillips states that GOV school held the most memories for her because that was where she met all of her closest friends.
“Gym class my junior year held the most memories that mean a lot to me because I had a lot of friends in there with me,” Payne said.
“The band room holds memories that mean quite a lot to me,” Williams says.
Many seniors are shaped into who they are by specific events, people, or things. Most of the time it’s people who shape us into our true selves and that is something very special not everyone experiences. Wilson has many people in school that shaped him into who he is today, such as Emilio Hernandez, Bryan Leyva, Mr. McGuire, and even Mr. Gunner.
“Chase Beltram shaped me into who I am. He’s my best friend and I can’t thank him enough for everything he’s done for me,” Payne says. To be able to have someone who holds such an impact on you in that way is very extraordinary.
There are moments where upperclassmen wish they could talk to their freshmen selves at least once. Many seniors have said that the advice they’d give would be to have fun, don’t rush, and to enjoy it.
Wilson says to not overthink and to make the most fun of your high school years as you can. Seniors, especially this year, struggle with overthinking. The stress over what colleges we want to go to, scared about whether or not we’ll continue to keep our grades up, and the anxiety of not knowing what you want to do in your upcoming chapter. “Your grades do not define who you are as a person”, Phillips said. That’s something a lot of us struggle with and can relate to.
Pre-nostalgia is about realizing that the moments once taken for granted are the ones that suddenly feel the heaviest for us. Senior year isn’t just about caps and gowns or colleges and grades, but about understanding that the halls, the people we call friends, and the ordinary days are what shaped us. One day, this will all just be a memory and we’ll realize that these moments are more precious than we ever knew.
