The class of 2025 does not have long to go until graduation. The start of their last year of high school has been very stressful, emotional, and hopeful. I asked them to reflect on the past 13 years of high school and think about how they changed.
Co-editor-in-chief, Colby Eastwood, thinks this year will be emotional in a good way. “I’m ready for the next chapter,” said Eastwood. She is feeling excited but also a little stressed. “I know that God has a plan for me so it will all work out,” said Eastwood. She does not have a specific favorite memory but she loves the relationships that she has made over the last 13 years. She wants this to be her most memorable year of school yet. She wants to go to JMU or Coastal Carolina to major in kinesiology or exercise science to become a physical therapist.
Reporter Kyleigh Fitzgerald said that she has changed over the years. She used to be quiet, but she has learned that you do not always have to be quiet and calm, and she has learned to express herself more. She does think that this year will be emotional for her. “I know that at graduation, I’ll look up and my mom will be crying and then I’ll start crying,” said Fitzgerald. She did not think that this year would be emotional for her but on the first day of school, she thought about the fact that this would be her last first day of normal school. She wants to be an ultrasound technician in the future.
Carleigh Strader is also having some strong feelings about this year. “I’ve learned that I am a procrastinator and that is not a good habit to have,” said Strader. She said that she now has learned that you can not procrastinate during your senior year. As of now, she is ready to graduate but she thinks that that feeling will change come next semester. Her favorite memory was her 7th-grade science class. She wants to go to Virginia Tech and then apply to Virginia-Maryland and become a veterinarian.
I have said that I can not wait to graduate and that I will not miss high school, but I don’t feel that way now. When I was touring a college over the summer, I realized that I would be there alone. I will not have my family with me. I will be hours away from home staying in a room with a stranger. My childhood is slipping away from me. I’ll be 18 in January and I will be considered an adult. This time next year, I will be sitting in a dorm room calling my mom over the phone, because I can not tell her everything in person. However, I will not stress about it. This year will fly by and I intend to make the most of it. As for now, I will be enjoying everything: the interactions with my teachers, the friends I make, and my many lasts. I hope to see myself pursuing a degree in legal studies or political science at George Mason University. I want to make my mark on the world as an immigration attorney.
Senior year will be emotional for many, but in the end, we’re moving forward. Although it’s hard, change is good and we’ll have to learn to adapt to it.
