People say music becomes attached to memories, but I didn’t fully understand that sentiment until I looked back at my high school experience. 

A song can bring back an entire version of myself — the mindset I had, the people I was surrounded by and the feelings I couldn’t explain at the time.

My music choices reflected my growth. I went from someone overwhelmed by change to someone finally learning how to understand it. When I look back on the last four years, I don’t remember them as one long continuous experience. I remember them in phases, and each phase had a soundtrack. Even if the track is just made of songs I purely just enjoyed at the time, each one has become the playlist of my high school years that I will always be able to look back at fondly. 

Freshman year: “Caught on Fire” by Roy Shakked

I came into high school wanting everything at once: new people, new experiences, new freedom. I thought growing up meant moving fast and never looking back. “Caught on Fire” felt chaotic in the best way: energetically, emotionally and intensely. Freshman year was full of figuring out who I was while pretending I already knew. I cared too much about fitting in and too little about slowing down. Everything felt important. Every friendship, every awkward moment, every interaction somehow felt life-changing. Looking back now, I was just learning how overwhelming it is to become someone new.

Sophomore year: “Daylight” by David Kushner

Sophomore year was heavier. The excitement of starting high school wore off, and reality settled in. I started recognizing parts of myself I didn’t always like — insecurity, fear of failure and fear of disappointing people. “Daylight” captures the battle between obscurity and hope, and that’s exactly what sophomore year felt like. I started understanding that growing up isn’t just about gaining freedom; it’s also about confronting yourself. But even during the difficult moments, there was still this quiet belief that things could get better. Sophomore year taught me that strength doesn’t always look confident. Sometimes it just looks like continuing forward.

Junior year: “Reflections” by The Neighbourhood

Honestly, this was the year I changed the most. Junior year forced me to reflect on who I had become and who I wanted to be. It was a year of pressure, grades, future plans, expectations but also self-awareness. I spent more time thinking about my relationships, my priorities and the kind of person I wanted people to remember me as. “Reflections” feels introspective yet distant at the same time, which matches how that year felt. I was growing, but growth can feel lonely sometimes. Still, junior year helped me become more comfortable with myself. Not perfect, not fully figured out, just more real.

Senior year: “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls

There’s a reason this song has lasted for decades. It’s emotional, honest, vulnerable — all the emotions that make up senior year. This year made me realize how temporary everything is. The people I see every day, the routines I used to complain about, even the hallways I barely noticed; all of a sudden, they all matter, simply because they’re ending. “Iris” feels like wanting to hold onto a moment while knowing you can’t. Senior year taught me to appreciate experiences before they become memories.

I started high school trying to become someone else. I’m leaving with the understanding that growing up is less about changing into a completely different person, and more about discovering the person who was already there. These four songs don’t just remind me of different years, they remind me of different versions of myself.

And even though graduation feels like the end of something, maybe it’s also the start of a new playlist.