Senior Column: Anna Kanaley

Dear Rose and Caroline,

Next year I’ll be living sisterless at Santa Clara University. Rose, you’ll be a sophomore, and Caroline, you’ll be an eighth grader. But before you start fighting over who gets my room when I leave for college, I have a few things to say.

First, no, you can’t have my clothes. I’m going to college, not dying, so my wardrobe is NOT up for grabs. Second, I like to think I’m a lot cooler than you think I am, and hopefully when I’m gone you’ll realize that. Third, you crazy cats better visit me or else I’m suing.

I know college will expose me to new things, and that’s important, but who am I supposed to binge-watch “How I Met Your Mother” with now that you’ll be 1,837 miles away? And even though you guys steal literally all of my music, I’m going to miss our jams to Andrew McMahon or family Justin Bieber dance parties.

When I was little and created the “Kanaley Kids News” for our kitchen table on weekends, Mom told me that I should join the school newspaper. I was convinced journalism was for nerds, and shut her down.

Even going into freshman year, I thought I’d be a theater kid –– joining the Harbinger was never on my agenda. And although me being a Harbinger kid makes me one of the coolest in school (and definitely not nerdy), you just asked me two weeks ago if I had ever even been to a party. I’m not as big of a loser as you may think, Caroline.

So whether you find yourself as an avid debater or an artsy theater kid, being a part of the programs that bring you joy is the first step for happiness. I know, it’s hard to live up to a sister as amazing as me, but even though I chose Coalition, Harbinger and IB, you shouldn’t feel pressured to do the same.

If you want to be a stressed-yet-happy IB weirdo like me, great! If you’d rather take the AP route, I’ll forgive you. The point is to figure out what makes the stressful parts of high school more enjoyable for you.

The end of high school is like the last episode in a season. I couldn’t be more excited for Season Three: College, but I’m going to miss you weirdos and your season one shenanigans so much. California may have In-N-Out, but nothing will replace our Culvers runs.

Love,

The favorite Kanaley child (besides Chester)