Nico’s Senior Essay

“There is a crack, a crack in everything

that's how the light gets in”
- Leonard Cohen

To me, this quote maximizes inspiration while simultaneously not sacrificing realism. It
is refreshing to hear the world described this way. It does not deny the tragedies, in fact, it
acknowledges they are everywhere, but it believes that those cracks let in light that would
otherwise be unseen. This quote reminds me, in the places where the world breaks, light can be
found, streaming in, golden and warm.
My name is Nico Covone and I am so tired of highschool. Now, I am finally graduating. I
like being outside and trees and rain. I like backpacking. I like to learn about the world. I like
wrinkly old musicians and I like being with people I love.
I made my way through three highschools to get to this one. After a needed break from
highschool I ended up here. Garza is my favorite highschool I’ve been to. I wish I could have
spent all of my highschool career here, I probably would have graduated on time. I really
appreciate all the wonderful teachers I’ve had here, especially Mr. Cook. The engaging
conversations I’ve had with him have fueled my completion of this final stretch of mandatory
education. He questions me, and disagrees with me, and I appreciate him so much more for it. He
has done the unthinkable and made me genuinely consider becoming a teacher myself. I’d also
like to thank Ms. Fackler for being such a phenomenal explainer of the world and being so
dedicated to helping me complete highschool. In my time at Garza my life has improved a lot. I
finally feel like I’m back on my feet and ready to move forward. For that I mostly have to thank
modern science and my parents' access to medical care. And me I suppose, for having the
courage to ask for what I need.
I don’t have big plans for the future. Whatever happens happens and was always going to
happen. I want to travel around the U.S. working on farms for a place to stay. I want to go to
college and figure out what kind of job I want to have. I want to live wild in the wilderness. I
want to drastically change my career in my forties, in the pursuit of happiness and to the dismay
of my finances. I really just want to be happy. Life is okay, I'll stick around for as long as it lets
me.
Leonard Cohen’s music guides me like the north star guides an 18th century pirate. The
aforementioned quote encapsulates the lesson I’ve learned, and will try as hard as I can to
believe, while in highschool. While the world breaks, it is those cracks that allow light in that
would otherwise have not been seen. I have found golden, warm realities in the aftermath of an
earthquake. The truth is I wouldn’t have been able to see the future I have now without the walls
fracturing. Cracks will always form, change will always come, but it is these shifts that free new,
beautiful light.