Our seniors this year are embarking upon their second and final semester of high school; it’s time to get reflective! I sent out a survey to get answers from a random selection of 20 seniors who are graduating this school year… 2024!
Included in this survey are: Rachel Tang, Diego Mantelli, Maya Berstein, Lena Tran, Molly Jarrett, Amane Mori, Faith Gonia, Stella Walker, Kara Tran, Grace Densmore, Isabella Dockin, Adam Sarsfiled, Jasmine Knight, Ava Garcia, Andrei Paterno, Coco Dougher, Kyra Bito, Sylvie Nghiem, and Shane Dalziel. From the 20 random student answers I collected, the majority of Westmont’s seniors plan to attend a 4-year college (83.6%). Additionally, 12.7% stated they will be going to community college. One student answered that they would be taking a gap year, and another one said they would be going to trade school.
This survey project serves as a way for seniors to reflect on high school. Even though the questions may not be as deep or philosophical, it becomes emotional for the majority to think about our high school careers coming to a quick end. We halt as we enter the second semester, awaiting AP tests, pacing as we wait for colleges to respond, and contemplate relationships as everyone collects their caps and gowns.
Maya Bernstein shares that Manufacturing Tech was her favorite class, and she desires to work as an event logistician. Quite the opposite, Grace Densmore shares her favorite class was AVID and hopes to go to SJSU for forensic science. Similar to me, Faith Gonia’s favorite classes are Journalism, AP Lang, APUSH, or AP Lit! We both enjoy these paths, and unsurprisingly our careers line up with this answer. As they reflect, a couple of high school students spoke about how they would have dropped classes, but another expressed that they wish that they would have taken more years of art. The overwhelming majority of seniors’ favorite 2005/2006 song releases are “Promiscuous” By Nelly, “SOS” by Rhianna, “Our Song” By Taylor Swift, and “Feel Good Inc.” by Gorillaz. These songs all topped the charts and are staple Homecoming songs, so their selections make sense. Another frequently mentioned artist was Justin Timberlake.
Entering their final semester of high school, I wish the class of 2024 the best of luck. Although it seems daunting to have to plan the rest of your life out in such a short amount of time, everything happens for a reason. Students have such great opportunities to venture down different paths of their lives, just because one route did not work out, there is another one waiting to be explored! Congrats to the class of 2024 for making it this far… next graduation.