I have this t-shirt I would never throw it away when I do a yearly closet cleaning. It is a grey, oversized cotton top that says “DANA HALL DRAGONS EST. 1881” with a small dragon figure blazing fire from its mouth. That is my high school’s name and mascot. Attending an all-girls boarding school means having a full-on fighting spirit that could beat those of coed schools. I bought this t-shirt without thought during a homecoming week in my first year at Dana Hall. I always see on TV shows or movies that American high schools really take their school sports game seriously. There would be cheerleaders and mascot costumes walking around and cheering or even annoy the opponent’s team. It is no difference at Dana Hall. I wanted to be a part of that cheer, so I wore it the moment they handed back my debit card. Wearing the t-shirt made me feel that I am a part of this school and a place where I can call home for the next three years. In my Junior year, I was selected to be in the squash team for winter and tennis team for spring. The dragon figure became more important to me since it represents our team and our school. Senior year of high school, the year that made me feel so accomplished yet depressed…I wore this t-shirt the night before my commencement day, and the day I will leave Dana Hall forever. As I iron my mini white graduation dress for the next day, I received a call from my best friend who lived in the building next to mine. We talked until very late at night, and when the call ended, I glanced down and saw the dragon on the t-shirt. I thought to myself how is it possible for me to leave this place where I have met friends for life. That emptiness feeling began to emerge from the back of my mind. I started crying. Not because of how I will not be seeing them anymore, but more of letting go of the feeling when we were together as a group or if I would find friends like them in college. Now that I am in New York finding good friends like people at Dana is tougher than I thought. I was informed I would be put on the housing waitlist. To think I might have to live off-campus alone in my first year at Parsons upsets and scares me. How am I going to find friends? Is living alone in New York very dangerous? These questions pop up in my head countless times and make me worry about my college life. The first week of school was pretty tough. In the evening when I come back home from classes, I felt that I do not belong in New York. However, bringing the Dana t-shirt to Parsons makes me feel like I am not alone. That does not mean I am still stuck in the past and not willing to accept the reality of college. However, it gives me strength and reminds me of the people and the experience I had as a high schooler. It reminds me of my friends who believed in me…friends who have gone through the tough and happy times together with me. No matter how far we may be, the t-shirt shows that we are still a Dana family, and are not more than just a phone call away. All in all, this t-shirt has a sentimental value to me and will forever be.
