As the year finally dwindles down, one thing is for certain about some of the greatest high school memories: they happen unexpectedly and they are carried with you for your lifetime. From spending time with the people you’ve come to know for what it feels like a long time, or experiencing some of the most life changing events, high school memories take up a lot of first hand experiences. These memories carry the weight of shaping someone into who they will become, which can range from personality to decision making. These memories become stories that are able to be told to new people that will be met along the way after high school. One thing that can be undermined about high school memories is the impact that they have on the person. The bulk of finding oneself happens in the majority of time in high school and can obviously extend throughout adulthood. There is always the notion that someone does not entirely realize how a high school memory affected them until they are faced with it again.

The “reminiscence bump,” as memory researchers define, is a time period from ages ten to thirty where the most impactful memories are created. There are a ton of changes in the brain’s sensitivity as a result of certain types of information acquired during adolescence. The teenage years that are experienced during high school can help shape a person, for example his/her interactions, studying habits, and the advancement of certain skills. Although these years may also carry some bad memories, they still do an important job in forming who people become. Memories you make with people not only just affect you, but them. Their impact on you can never really be recognized until after high school. Once the event is over, there will always be a memory that accompanies it and becomes one of the “good times” you think about after high school.

Moreover, one of the most important notions to be recognized after high school is the impact someone made during these years. Memories with people become stories we tell and what we have left of them if we do not see them again or as often as we’d like to. By simply being a part of someone’s memory, we can be a reason why someone makes a decision. Even though some of the people who helped us form these memories will not be as close to us, we can use these memories to be transported back in time.

We asked a couple of seniors for their favorite high school memory; check the video out to hear what they said!