What we can learn from the Seniors of 23’

Seniors: they are older, wiser, and more powerful, and know so much more than younger students. Some don’t even know that they even have that power. They influence the younger generation in so many ways through sports, clubs, and even certain classes. The seniors show many talents to many different people, so the question is, are they happy to leave? What life lessons have they learned these past four years of high school? And what helped them survive long enough to be a Senior today?

Interviews: 

Being resilient and competitive is one of things that seniors have to go through in their daily lives. That competitive spirit is about to pay off for senior John Timothy Heist, also known as JT. Leaving school has been an accomplishment and a great start to his adulthood, when he goes off to college in a few months. But there is also sadness that leads into not being able to see the same peers ever again, and not having the same community that had his back all through High School. “Becoming a senior has been a journey up to this point of finding my spot, my calling, in life, which I know I will continue to do for a while,” says JT. “Learning about the world, finding my beliefs and becoming grounded in my beliefs and my reasoning, just generally growing and maturing as a person, not just physically, but mentally as well”. For JT,  his life wasn’t just about school work and friends, but finding himself, which led him to become a greater person for the future. 

Kindness and dedication within school and outside of school can help out. Josie ODegaard has the unique ability to balance those two. But also, she balances her life with Cross Country and Track & Field. Starting a new chapter is quite the exciting experience for her. Odegaard said that the thing that helped her on the road to her senior year was, “Getting help from my friends, family, partners, and my therapist has helped. If it wasn’t for them, especially my best friend Abby and my therapist, I definitely wouldn’t be alive and striving today.” Getting help is an important thing so you can be a better you. It’s not just you by yourself but it’s the people around you that can have a helping hand. Some days can be super hard, but with just a bit of help from someone, you can make it through any momentous situation. 

Commitment and honesty are truly helpful in a public environment. It helps a person stay focused, like Lina Pamatian, in extracurriculars and in school. She does Running Start, so she never really had a strong attachment to the school, but the part she will miss the most is Cross Country, an experience she deeply cherishes. “Because of COVID, I still feel stuck and still think of myself as a little freshman, not thinking I am fully a senior till graduation with striving for academic validation,” Lina had said. Her life was a bit taken away in the beginning of her High School experiences, she didn’t get to go through her freshman year because of an epidemic. Though it was hard for her, she still made it through to graduating this school year.

Life Lessons

High School isn’t just about academics, but for some people it is; they work so hard to graduate with scholars. It’s a life changing experience when they think about leaving high school and moving on from their life they once had. Learning life lessons is also an important thing to think about. Josie ODegaard, Lina Pamatian, and JT Heist have learned so much over the years so these are their life lessons. 

1. Love your friends. You don’t know if they are going to leave you or going to stay by your side after high school
2. Everyone doesn’t have to love high school. People will grow and learn in different ways 
3. Be true to yourself. You can be your own person and go at your own pace, you don’t have to get it down the first time as a teenager
4. Don’t stress about your grades too much 
5. Go to a college that fits your own personality and your budget. It doesn’t have to be about the acceptance rate at all 
6. Go to all the dances, football games, join clubs and sports, do community services and educational summer camps, just get involved with your surroundings and have fun
7. Take pictures; you never know if you want to see that memory again someday 
8. Be smart with your life, try to seek progress and overcome the laziness while not neglecting proper rest 
9. Don’t give up when it’s getting too hard. There will always be something challenging ahead, so set some realistic goals for yourself 
10. Make sure to set goals for yourself, set out a plan for yourself that can make your future easier 
11. Get off your devices try to live without them for some time except for homework, research, or to do your job
12. Go outside and do something productive like reading a book, some type of exercise, and plan out your week

Ending

High School is an actual thing you have to take seriously, it’s the last few years before you go to college/university. It is possibly somewhere much further than where you are now. Live your last few years of high school as an adventure, don’t sit around being lazy, try to have fun. Just experience because it will be your last years being a freshman, sophomore, junior, and last of all a senior. Don’t throw it into the trash and leave it there, go out and have fun being in high school.