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When asked about how they felt about their last semester of high school, Campolindo seniors had varying perspectives on how they planned to manage it. There are mixed feelings surrounding the beginning of the end, but most of them are looking forward to their graduation.
Senior Kendall Hollyfield said, “I think it’s sad… my childhood’s ending a little bit, which is a little bittersweet. But I’m excited for this new chapter and new experiences and excited for kind of just like an ability to restart.”
Many seniors shared bittersweet emotions when thinking about their final moments at Campo. In response to how she felt experiencing the last semester of highschool, senior Maya Carrasco said that although it can feel bittersweet “it’s also really exciting…I can’t wait to see what the next step in my life is.” Many students were in agreement with Hollyfield and Carrasco.
To add to these conflicting feelings, students find that there are both things to look forward to and dread in this final semester. Senior Molly Dougherty said she’s “least excited for senioritis to kick in and [her] motivation to drop.” This was a common answer amongst the seniors.
Hollyfield shared what she is excited about during the spring, “I’m excited for an ability to let loose a little bit and be able to hang out with my friends more. And I’m also excited for college apps to be done because that took a lot of my time and I feel like I have a lot more free time.”
Other seniors also had events in mind that they were excited to participate in. Carrasco said, “I’m most excited to go on the trip to Yosemite. I’m excited to be out of school and to get to go to a new place with people and also just get to know the teachers outside of the school environment.” The popular excursion to Yosemite National Park is the pinnacle of their school year for many upperclassmen.
Although Hollyfield has lots to look forward to, she also expressed parts of senior year that she wasn’t excited for: “I’m least excited to say bye to my friends and my school. I’m also not excited for May and April and still having to work even though there’s not a lot of motivation there.” Dreading final goodbyes to friends and family was a frequent response when asked about the downsides of their highschool career ending.
Senior Michael Tague had similar sentiments when asked what he was dreading in the final semester. He said that “continuing to have homework and keeping up with the grind of everyday life” was going to be challenging because he took hard classes this year.
Already half way through their final year, the majority of seniors are conflicted on whether they think the semester will go by quickly or slowly, and which they would prefer.
Tague said that he feels “it will go by pretty slowly”, but for him that would be preferable. He knows that he “has to embrace [it] because [he] can’t go back” and has accepted the fact that it might feel long.
It seemed that numerous students had heard that the second semester would go by quickly. Hollyfield said, “I’ve heard from a lot of people and I’m definitely expecting it to go really, really fast, which is good in some ways, because that just means you’re having a lot of fun. But it’s also bad because it’s the last one and that’s kind of sad.”
Many of the seniors believe there were things they could have done differently in the last semester which would’ve made their senior year better and more engaging. For example, senior Pinkie Schnayer rumerates on all the events she missed out on because she felt she didn’t have enough time. “I feel I was really focused on school when I could have been more open to activities outside of school,” she said.
Tague also reflected this sentiment. He said being involved with school activities “is the whole point of what makes highschool fun” and he wishes he “had made more of a conscious effort to go to as many school events as [he] could.”
Further, students have learned many lessons over the years that are now helpful in getting them through their final semester of highschool. For example, Carrasco spoke on the importance of accepting herself for who she is: “It’s okay to just be me and embody everything I love.” Further, she said that she appreciates knowing now that although “people come and go in your life…those who are important and care about you the most stay.”
Overall, the final semester of highschool brought on a wave of conflicting emotions for seniors. There is excitement about the prospect of graduating and the anticipation of what will come next. However, many are also saddened by the fact that their childhood is coming to an end which makes this transitional period much more complicated than expected. Despite the bittersweet emotions, the beginning of the end has offered seniors a new perspective on their highschool career, changing them not only as students or athletes but also as individuals who are about to embark on a new journey.
