Grizzly graduates reflect on high school

With the 2014 – 2015 school year coming to a close Golden Valley seniors are readily awaiting their last day; May 22. In light of this I went around campus and spoke with many seniors to get a glimpse of their feelings as they are soon to venture into the great beyond, whether it be college or joining the working world.

One of the first seniors I spoke with, Emily Carpenter, will be attending Marymount Manhattan College in New York and majoring in theater arts. Life throws many challenges at us and some that Emily said she’s expecting as she progresses in life are “maintaining friendships that I’ve made in high school and advancing in my major.” Despite these challenges Carpenter still has high hopes saying “I want to love what I’m doing & be on Broadway.”

Seniors have had four years to participate in a wide range of activities. Austin Cole, attending Grand Canyon University and majoring in digital arts, said “If I could do it over again I would do more theater classes and participate in spring and fall plays. And probably take an art class.” Abby Talavera, attending Masters College and majoring in biology, commented with “I’d participate in theater production more.”

Four years is a lot of time for someone to change. As we grow older things happen to create us into our adult forms that we grace the world with. Christina Chartier, still deciding on a college and planning to major in nursing, mentioned that “I’ve changed because I’m more mature and responsible and I’m capable of making decisions and learning from my mistakes.” Kris Contreras, attending Pierce College and majoring in veterinary sciences, said “I’ve learned to set goals for myself and I’ve accomplished a lot academically.”

High school gives us a lot of memories and things to look back on. Joe Barilla, attending community college and then FIDM, majoring in graphic design and fashion merchandising, said he will look back on high school and remember many things with a fondness. “I will always remember show choir because it was a major part of my high school year since freshman year. I’ll also remember senior ditch day, first homecoming (freshman year), and show choir comps.” Austin Cole will remember “… marching band. It was was a lot of fun and competitions and making friends were the best part.”

With these seniors getting ready to leave there comes a whole new era of seniors. I caught up with these “soon to be” seniors and asked them if they had any words to say to the leaving seniors. Alex Herrera said “Good luck with everything you do.” Star Austria gave a tad of advice saying “Enjoy life put out of high school but stay focused.” Sebastian Sotello encouraged them with “Thanks for the memories and I hope you achieve whatever it is you hope to achieve.” And Ronaldo Arista finished it off with “I’ll see you all in ten years.”

These four years have truly been a journey for seniors. Many changes are to come in their lives and you can only hope that we, those venturing out, are emotionally and mentally prepared for the challenges to come our way. I wish the best for all my fellow seniors and let’s go out with a bang. Remember, class of 2015: “We’ll make history!”

By Charisse B. Atherley (Class of 2015)