The transition from freshman to senior year can be challenging. In a brand-new school with over 1,600 people, it can be easy for a freshman to get lost in the chaos of juggling social situations and the independence of the first year of high school. Senior year is packed with hours and hours on CommonApp while keeping up with classwork and figuring out what the future will look like. Two freshmen and two seniors shared how they’ve navigated the many obstacles of high school–and thrived here.
Navigating the first days of freshman year
The first days of freshman year were some of the most memorable for many. Even as a senior, those first moments can still be recalled, according to senior Jillian Fellman.
“I’m shocked because I remember my first days of my freshman year so well, I can’t believe that it was three years ago,” Fellman said. “Freshman year I was like, ‘Oh my gosh it’s massive!’ And I was nervous, but after a month or so, people started to seem familiar. Even if I don’t talk to them, it’s nice to see people’s faces.”
Freshman Mekhia Johnson noticed the chaos in the hallways immediately.
“It didn’t feel real until I stepped into the building. I was scared though, really, really scared,” Johnson said. “It’s easy to get overstimulated, and there are so many people in the hallways during passing time. There’s smells coming from everywhere, people stopping in the middle of the hallway, and a lot of loud noises. After the first day, it was pretty chill and I got used to it.”
Freshman Edward LaRoe found the adjustment nerve-racking, but he also knew he had people to rely on if he needed help.
“I wasn’t too concerned because I knew where most of my classes were by the second or third day,” LaRoe said, “and I knew there were a lot of support staff and counselors here that if I was confused about what I needed to do or where to go, I can just ask them.”
Finding community through clubs, sports
One way these two freshmen have found their community is through athletics: Johnson with volleyball and LaRoe with cross country. It made the adjustment from eighth grade to freshman year smoother for them because they got to know other freshmen and upperclassmen.
“I knew people who were going to be playing volleyball, so it’s not like I was just gonna be playing with a bunch of strangers. It was pretty nice to go do tryouts with some of my friends,” Johnson said.
Some seniors find their community through clubs. Fellman is in the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) club, where she has met a lot of her good friends, while senior Gabe Halvren participates in the Naturalist Club.
Fellman loves that she finds a strong sense of community here.
“I can always find my people. Like with clubs, it’s easy to find other people who have the same interests as you,” Fellman said. “From middle school, I knew a couple of people. Two of my good friends are involved in D&D club, so it was a great place to make new friends.”
Halvren found friends not just in clubs but also in his Biomed classes.
“I like the Biomed classes a lot, but more so the science classes as a whole because the teachers know each other, and a lot of the same people take those classes,” Halvren said.
Work, in school and beyond
Johnson explained that the biggest change for them from middle school to high school was the teaching style.
“It’s really different to the way it was in middle school. It’s not like a bad switch or anything, it makes more sense. Teachers are clearer with how they want things done. They weren’t really like that for middle school. They would give us the work and let us figure it out,” Johnson said. “In high school, they break everything down, so that makes it a lot easier.”
She mentioned that if given the opportunity, she would make the freshman workload more challenging in order to push herself to prepare for her sophomore year.
LaRoe had a similar outlook as Johnson on the workload from freshman year.
“It’s not that bad. At the end of the year last year, there was a lot more work. I am expecting more work to come from more of my classes because it’s only halfway through the first quarter, but I have been a little surprised with how much homework has come home from math so far,” LaRoe said.
Both freshmen acknowledged the workload and recognized that they felt like they were being pushed more in middle school.
Fellman had a different outlook on the classes. She’s always had a heavy workload, so she’s found strategies to help manage her time.
“It takes me forever to get things done, so I would always have homework for everything I didn’t finish in class. I just set aside time. I would spend about 45 minutes to an hour doing whatever I want, and then I’d do homework,” Fellman said.
Choosing college, career paths
This far into high school, both freshmen aren’t sure what they want to do, but Johnson has aspirations to get into an Ivy League school and become a lawyer. LaRoe suggested either engineering or photography as a career path.
Fellman plans on owning an online business to sell stickers and art supplies.
“I think it would be cool to have an online business and sell stuff, but if that alone isn’t something that I can comfortably live off of, I’ll find something! I’ll work at a coffee shop or a library,” Fellman said.
Halvren plans on majoring in biology (marine biology specifically) and finding a job that focuses on working in a lab. He found this passion through the Biomed program because of his hands-on experiences.
Advice for future selves: stay the same, make individual goals
Both freshmen plan on maintaining a high GPA, while staying relatively the same throughout all four years.
“At the end of freshman year, I will hope to have close to all A’s, and I just hope to have had a good school year overall,” LaRoe said. “By the time I’m a senior, there might be some change, but I feel like I’ll stay around the same person.”
Freshman Mekhia Johnson plans on getting a job by the time she’s a senior, and she doesn’t picture herself changing from freshman to senior year. Her goals for the spring of freshman year remain similar to LaRoe’s.
“Spring, I hope to have mostly straight A’s going forward and make some more friends,” Johnson said.
Both seniors are finding more stress throughout school because of college applications, so Fellman reminds herself to stay persistent.
“Everything is going to work out,” Fellman said, as advice to her spring self. She also has advice for the freshman as they move throughout their years.
“They probably hear it a lot from teachers from the first year of freshman orientation, but if you’re afraid to do something, you should do it anyway. You won’t regret it!” Fellman said.
Being involved outside of school is important not only for building community but also for handling the adjustments from middle school to high school and beyond.
