The summer is fast approaching and for many seniors that means leaving home and traveling all around the world to go to colleges, attend trade schools, or enlist in the military.
While some are staying close and attending Wenatchee Valley College or the University of Washington, others are headed as far away as Greece for their college experience. No matter where their plans, graduation represents a major change in all seniors’ lives as they prepare for independence. For many seniors graduation is the first stepping stone on the path to adult life and true freedom. The seniors at CHS have chosen wildly different routes. These are just some of their stories:
One senior, Vanessa West, is staying close to home and plans to attend the University of Washington in the fall. Of the state colleges in Washington, The University of Washington is more selective with an acceptance rate of only 53%. University of Washington is located in Seattle, only about two hours from CHS. Though Vanessa occasionally wishes she could have gone out of state she chose to be in-state for a variety of reasons including both price and prestige. The University of Washington, like most colleges, mandates freshmen live in dorms with roommates. Vanessa has been hard at work searching for a viable roommate through social media. For others who may think about following in Vanessa’s footsteps, she recommends starting early and keeping options open.
Others, like senior Zienna Erickson, may see staying close to home as a deterrent. Zienna is traveling across the country to attend college at New York University located in New York City. NYU was founded in 1831 and is now one of the largest private universities in the U.S. Erickson plans to attend their School of Business to go into healthcare administration. “I’ve always wanted to go to the east coast for college, and I got pretty good financial aid from NYU so it was just the best option for me,” said Erickson.
Senior Alaina Wall is also planning to travel for college. Alaina is headed to Washington D.C. to attend Gallaudet University. Even though her original plan was to go to Central for her bachelor's degree before advancing on to Gallaudet for her masters, she was accepted to this prestigious university this year and decided to commit to that option. She is both exited and nervous for the change and traveling far away from home. “I am excited to create new memories and create new relationships with new people and get to experience my own story I guess… but on the other hand because my family are adopting two new children and so I wont be in their everyday life,” said Wall.
Senior Miles Hunt will be traveling the furthest for college: crossing over first the United States and then the Atlantic Ocean to attend the International College in Athens, Greece. Miles prioritized being far away from home to establish a sense of independence and freedom as he made post-high-school plans. Miles discovered international schools through a TikTok video of a student who was doing an international program. After some research, he decided that was the path for him. For Miles the biggest pain in the process has been applying for all the permits and visas required to live overseas.
Senior Kai Lewman decided that college wasn’t the best path for him and instead opted to enlist in the military. Kai stated that more schooling didn’t feel like a viable option to him, and he couldn’t find a career he fell in love with, so he decided that enlistment was the right option. After getting in touch with recruiters in Wenatchee, he signed a delayed entry agreement, meaning he has been going through all the necessary screenings and checks in high school and will join after graduation. Not to be outdone with his overachieving classmates, Kai has plans to join ranks with the prestigious Army Rangers. Thank you for your service Kai.
One senior this year decided to take a slightly different path from others. Olen Johnsonplans on attendingValdres Folk School in Norway. “[I] didn’t want to go straight to college, [I] wanted to do some sort of gap year. Needed a break from school,” said Johnson. “It's not really a school; you basically just ski and bike all year.” Stella Johnson graduated in 2021 and took a similar path to what Olen is planning. “I learned a lot about Stella’s experience. Her’s was on the coast, and it rained a lot. Theirs was just hiking and skiing and I wanted to do more biking and skiing. I don’t like rain, and it’s colder where I’m going.They have many folk schools with a big website and where they’re at.” Norway is about 4,400 miles away, which is a long way to go right out of highschool. “I excited, not really nervous. It's something new and I like new experiences. My parents are excited for me to do something like this. My mom is planning to take me over and my dad will visit. I'm going on a student Visa, it costs about 10 thousand dollars. I can't work there, but I've made enough working here atTumwater and Ski Hill."
For most seniors leaving home or preparing to leave home is the first step into the real world. On Monday, all of these seniors will be celebrated at the second annual CHS Declaration Day. In celebration of official declaration of post-high-school plans, Culinary Blub, CHS Administration and Leadership have orchestrated an exclusive lunch for the class of 2023.
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