Marek Pasieniuk

Right from the start, I would like to say, I am downright terrible at math, and quite honestly, I’m sorry for the teachers who had me-but thank you for putting up with me. 

I’ve learned that change is inevitable. Not from Infinity War. If you didn’t know, I lived in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, my sophomore year. It’s not Excelsior just like how Kennebunk isn’t Kennabunk. I had a fat dose of culture shock when I arrived, the school was very diverse, in every way imaginable

My first class was lifting. There, I met my friend, Gannon Willis. He has a quote that I still think about. It happened when I explained to him where I was from, and what Kennebunk was like. The first thing that came out of this man’s mouth was “ah man, you’re in for a rough surprise, welcome to one of the hardest schools in Missouri…” He wasn’t referring to academics…  In that year alone I think there were about 27 fights. It was epic! Unless of course, you are the resource officer. 

Here’s one little thing that shouldn’t be that big of a deal, but it is. In Kennebunk, it’s almost a social norm to hold the door open for people; however, Excelsior isn’t Kennebunk.  NOBODY EVER held the door… EVER….. EVEN IF you were right behind them. Hold the door open for people, man! It’s not that hard. 

Anyway.

Human nature is to be scared of the future. We have no idea what it has in store for us, but we can at least imagine what might happen. I know that two, three years from now I’ll probably still be living at home, working and learning to be an electrician. I’ll occasionally play some Xbox with the boys. We’ll probably be playing Rocket League or Warzone… I really hope it’s not Warzone though, Warzone is trash. I say that because ah… I’m trash at Warzone. Aside from the Xbox, Who knows? I might not like being an electrician. If that turns out to be the case, maybe I’ll desert civilization and start walking the entirety of the Appalachian Trail. Why would I do this? I don’t know…..  boredom theory? 

I want to say thank you to my friend Alex Reed for getting me into hiking. I cannot wait to climb Mt. Washington, Mt. Katahdin, and many more in the near future with you and the Asthma Mt. Crew. 

One of my favorite possible paths for the future involves continuing to learn Japanese (Nihongo). Only 20% percent of the population in the United States is bilingual. Now, I don’t know about you but being bilingual is a flex and a half. I could watch all the anime I want, no longer would I need to read subtitles, it’s a frickin’ dream come true. I’ll learn Korean next, so I could walk up to Mr. Zandri (my Taekwondo master) and start speaking some Korean out of nowhere. I could go to his tournaments in Korea someday and translate for him. To me, this would be a sick future, as long as I stay dedicated. 

Dedication is key in all means of life so do yourself a favor and be dedicated to something. You’ll be surprised how much one topic can change your life so make sure it’s something you love.

Speaking of dedication, I want to say a huge thank you to my wrestling coaches, Coach Young and Coach Madison. You guys are my family. I know you hate my hair right now, but it had to be done. Also, thank you for my nickname Merkel, It’s gotten to the point where I almost prefer Merkel over my real name. If anything, I get offended if you don’t call me Merkel. 

I’d like to say thank you to Mr. Roddy and Mrs. Rollerson. Art is dope! Art can show indescribable emotions and feelings. The more I read this the cornier it gets, but it’s true. I love art! So seriously, thank you for teaching me.

Shoutout to Mr. Young’s advisory, we are by far the best, no cap!

To end it, I’m sorry if I didn’t get you in here-but thank you, Thank you to all my friends, family, and teachers who got me to where I am right now. As always, everything deserves to have a JoJo reference so, Arrivederci class of 2021.