The Start of a New Beginning (Academic Year 2025-2026)

Berita Lainnya - 17 July 2025

The Start of a New Beginning

By Jesslyn Richelle Khoe (Grade 10, Group: Elpis)

As the sun rose in the morning, my eyelids opened, awake to the sounds of the alarm right beside my ears. The first day of school was always exciting, as I put on my clothes to meet new personalities. In my car, I thought about how I’d be able to adapt to this new life. SMAK 1, or Smukie, has an outstanding reputation. But the thoughts kept lingering in my head, “Will I get enough friends?”, “Does anyone even have the same interests as me?”. It was thrilling, but it didn't seem much different than a nightmare. I shook it off and simply thought of the positive outcomes. New friends, and most importantly, a great opportunity for me to grow along with the school, but most importantly, my faith in Christ.

I stepped in front of this huge building full of parked cars. The guards were nice and friendly, their expressions expressed everything. They greeted me with a simple, yet heartwarming nod followed by a simple “Good morning”, which helped ease the nervousness that’d been building up. I took a deep breath and walked through the endless stairs, surrounded by people I’ve never met before.

Looking around, I saw students chatting with their friends, some teachers were talking with seniors, it all felt unreal. Finally, I reached the auditorium for the first day of student orientation, and decided to sit beside my friend, Max, as we talked about his academic progress. A couple minutes later, after everything had been informed, me and my orientation group headed to the class for some simple games like memorizing each other’s name, followed by the announcement of so many assignments even on the first day! I was definitely not used to this. However, the feeling of always having something to do excited me.

As the day ended, I came out of the building full of confidence with so many more new friends. In the end, I was truly happy and grateful to have encountered each and every one of them. Of course, every single one was different in their own way, but I believe that everyone can shine in their own way, in their own time. Some might have stood out during the first days, capturing everyone's attention, but some also needed time to truly let out another version of themselves, just like me.

This is going to be a whole new beginning, but all I see is a beautiful future ahead of me.