By Kelly Ohriner

I don’t know exactly when or where, but in the midst of my mid April college tour, a ring fell off my finger. With my mom by my side, I was visiting schools I had been admitted to-not just schools I could add to a list of colleges I probably wouldn’t even end up applying to. Strangely enough, I had been looking forward to this trip. After all the stress and the tears of both joy and disappointment that revolve around the college process, it was rewarding to visit schools that accepted me, that after a careful dissection of my application decided that they wanted me at their college.

I had an enjoyable time with my mom visiting schools across the country. Our trip went smoothly, which is surprising considering the many different flights we took, traveling from one city to the next. It wasn’t until I arrived home that I realized something had gone wrong. A concrete tan line of a band stamped my ring finger on my right hand. I had lost my school ring, which I had received at ring ceremony in mid September. It was a strange feeling. I had been more or less indifferent to even ordering a school ring. However, when I got it, I put it on my finger and never took it off. I never really thought about it, it was just another accessory like my bracelets and earrings that I never felt the need to take off. However, when I looked down to see that my finger held nothing but an imprint of my school ring, I surprisingly felt depressed and later on, sentimental. It was different than just losing another ring or another bracelet. It wasn’t until then that I realized my school ring meant more than my other jewelry.My school ring represented my high school years at Harvard-Westlake. From my first day in tenth grade feeling more anxious and nervous than ever to my days leading up to graduation, my school ring captured every piece of my Harvard-Westlake experience. From struggling in 10th grade Chemistry with science teacher David Hinden to losing my AP Government notes a few days before the mid-term, my experience has been tough and stressful at times. That’s not to say it hasn’t been incredible as well. I’ve met people who have kept my head up all these years and I know will always be there, raising my chin and telling me that despite hardships, something great is always left to come. I have the fondest memories of this school. From sleeping in silent study to missing the bus everyday in tenth grade, it’s the little things that I’ll miss the most. My school ring captured all these moments into a piece of jewelry to wear every day and I lost it.

Somewhere across the country, a flight attendant, a hotel maid, or maybe someone that just happened to be walking where I had once been, has found my school ring. They wear it without ever cheering on a fellow Wolverine, without ever reading a Chronicle, and without ever stepping foot on 3700 Coldwater Canyon. It is with this in mind that I am not upset or regretful of being unconscious of the fact that it slipped off my finger. They may have the ring, but I’ve experienced everything it represents which, to me, is invaluable.