Wexford, Pennsylvania, home of the North Allegheny Tigers — a school district ranked 25th out of over 10,000 districts in the country, according to Niche, and one of the largest public schools in the state. The extensive faction that is the North Allegheny School District is extraordinarily intimidating. But because of its colossal size, it is an immensely diverse district, it helps build lifelong bonds between all who walk its halls, and it unites those who would not ordinarily interact outside the classroom.

I am a senior, and I came to North Allegheny three years ago, after attending a private school for nine years. But my story is not unique. NA and the melting pot it serves, for not only the state of Pennsylvania but for the entire country, has hundreds of new students enter “the bubble” each year.

Mary Evankovich, who came to NA from a private school three years ago, immediately sensed the drastic size change when she arrived.  “Before coming to NA, I knew everyone’s name in my whole school,” the senior said. “With a class size of around 650 now, I knew that would surely change.”

Senior Erin Araiza was 13 when she moved from Hawaii to Pittsburgh because of her dad’s job. “I was terrified,” she said. “The thought of leaving a life I was so familiar with and moving across the country was just absolutely terrifying.”

Beyza Tuncer, another senior, attended NA before her family packed up and moved to Turkey for two years. She came back to the United States this past summer and started her senior year at NASH.  “This is a big, big school,” she said, “and I just hope I don’t get lost.”

Personally, I cannot even begin to fathom how fast the past three years of my time here have gone by. It is a cliché, I know, but it feels like yesterday I was a nervous freshman walking the halls of NAI for the first time, trying to find my way. All I can say is, for those still finding their ways, know it is okay to still get lost on the way to Honors Pre-Calc or to still not know how to open a locker; it gets so much better and so much easier.

June 7th will be here in the blink of an eye for many seniors, but until then, we will smile for the endless pictures our moms won’t stop taking and look back on our days as Tigers, feeling happy and a little nostalgic about our time in “the bubble.”

When looking back at her last three years here, Araiza said, “I really like it here. After living on an island for seven years, it’s nice to be exposed to all the diversity of this school. I’m not ready to leave it just yet.”

In recounting all she has learned from North Allegheny, Evankovich said, “Since moving to NA freshman year, I have been able to grow in ways I never thought possible. Through music, on the basketball court, and in the classroom, I am challenged to learn more everyday. The opportunities here at NA are endless and have enabled me to branch out and try new things.”

Whether we became Tigers in Kindergarten, middle school, freshman year, or even last week, our days at North Allegheny are and will be the busiest, scariest, and best times of our lives. But no matter when we entered “the bubble,” one thing is for sure: we leave it better people, with bigger hearts, ready to conquer the world — or at least the next four years of college.