WHETHER you loved every minute of high school or couldn’t wait to get out, everyone remembers their graduation.

It’s been hard not to get caught up in all the emotion of watching Gympie’s latest batch of Year 12s hit the red carpet for their formals this week.

FORMAL GALLERIES

– 133 James Nash graduates walk the red carpet

– 36 stunning photos from St Pat’s Formal 2019

– GALLERY: 14 stunning photos from the CCC Formal

– GALLERY: Beautiful photos from Gympie Special School Formal

How familiar it is to see those kids, dressed to the nines and hiring out flashy rides for a grand and scarily final farewell to their schooling lives, looking nervous as hell but trying their best not to.

I think back on the time I was one of those kids, and then it hits me that it was already six years ago.

What a special time it is. Surrounded by proud family and friends, so many eyes on you it very quickly feels overwhelming, sharing those little uncertainties on going into the big bad world with nobody else but the peers alongside you.

When I heard my graduation song, On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons, ring out over the speakers at Cooloola Christian College’s arrivals, all of a sudden it was an effort stop the tears.

It’s near on impossible to take a breath in this increasingly fast-paced, social media-dominated world, but your graduation is an important time to do so.

This one of life's true watershed moments. Congratulations to all those graduating this year, and make sure you embrace that moment.