As some students will return to Canyon Hills after the summer, seniors are waving goodbye to the high school experience forever. Graduation is just a few days away and seniors will soon transition into the real world, with bigger responsibilities and more opportunities.

High school is a time of figuring yourself out, it is the four years that determine your teenage life. Just as high school is portrayed, there are stereotypes and groups, nerds and popular kids. But when it comes down to it, it doesn’t matter who is ‘cool’ or not, it matters what you accomplish in yourself. Although we still have so much time to grow as we’re only teenagers, there have already been an abundance of lessons us seniors can take out into the world. 

Canyon Hills senior, Yovela Yohannes, discusses a lesson that stuck out to her in these four years stating, “My biggest lesson was to not procrastinate because you’ll dig a deeper hole for yourself, it just makes it harder to succeed.” Yohannes continues on, and with lessons came accomplishments in her school life, “I am proud of finding a good work and personal life balance. School is important, but being able to socialize is a really big part of life.”

Yohannes shared something many high school students struggle with: keeping a balance between grades and having a social life. It has and always will be a challenge, but it is something that can be accomplished with the right mindset and just enough persistence. Something helpful can be setting goals or rewards for yourself. 

“I prioritize my social activity and extending my friendships while at the same time, knowing balance and when to get on top of my school work,” Abby Labadie, a Canyon Hills senior, explains, “I use completing my school work as a drive to hang out with friends after.”

Every senior has gone through similar obstacles, and Labadie uses her method to make high school less stressful and more navigable. Along with balancing school and social life, building a social life within school can be extremely beneficial to yourself and your community.

Abby Labadie is also on the badminton team, a member in key club, and part of the First Gen program, so she is familiar with creating a community in school, “Going into high school my parents always told me to join clubs and it seemed kind of lame at the time, but I joined them nonetheless. I’m so glad that I did because each club and sport has introduced me to so many people and different senses of community, I can definitely say that most of my friends are made from these organizations.”

This open attitude displayed by Labadie is something that many students should come into high school with. Being open minded about joining clubs or sports that may be out of your comfort zone is a great way to grow and expand your interests. High school provides a wide variety of clubs, tending to diverse interests like cooking, thrifting, hiking, and if you don’t find something to your liking you can always create your own club.

In addition to the relationships that come out of these organizations, it also gives you experience and looks good on college applications. Seniors this year should be very proud for even applying for college in the first place. The class of 2025 is projected to be the largest class in history, which makes getting into college more difficult this year. So, students who applied and those who even got accepted into college should be pleased with their work this year. 

Canyon Hills has a varied senior class, from going into college for sports scholarships to pursuing their interests and hobbies as majors. As high school has set us up for this big decision, some seniors share their final choices and the reasoning behind them.

Future Aztec, Michael Stanley, shares “I am going to SDSU because I come from a Veteran family so I get my tuition covered if I stay in California and I get to stay near my peers. I’m most excited for the freedom and the ability to get away from home.”

Grace Garnett takes a different path, stating, “ I chose the Naval Academy in Maryland because it is free, no tuition, no housing or food payments, and I get a job afterwards. I think I am most excited to meet people from all around the world with different cultures and have had different experiences.”

Along with State and military-affiliated schools, Canyon Hills students are using their resources and exploring the wide variety of community colleges that San Diego offers.

“I wanted to stay close to home so I decided on Mesa, I will have more control over my schedule and more freedom as a whole,” senior Alane Holihan expresses. Another close-by community college is Grossmont, where Trinity Taubken, a cheerleader and ASB student, chose. “I recently bought a house near Grossmont, and it is nice to be close. I am excited about not being at school all day, being able to have a couple of classes a day will be nice.”

A common pattern of incoming college students is the excitement to have more freedom when it comes to their schedule, curfews, and being able to do what they wish. Having structure is helpful, but college gives you the chance to branch out and decide how you want to live your life. Although us seniors are excited for the future, certain aspects of high school will be missed.

Now, with applications and commitments to colleges complete, seniors finally have a chance to reflect on their experiences from the past four years. High school tries to create fun events and opportunities for students year after year, but what has Canyon Hills done best? 

Cheer captain, Macy Watson, makes clear how events made the high school experience enjoyable, “I am a cheerleader so I think the football games were my favorite because we could all dress up,” Watson states, “I am probably going to miss my friends most because I am going to UC Santa Cruz which is a pretty far drive.”

Through the ups and downs, all the studying and school spirit, seniors will ultimately have to say farewell to high school in just a few days. High school might not have been the best or the easiest, but it definitely shaped us into who we are today. As we move forward, it is important to take these lessons and experiences with us into the future. Now, we are onto a new chapter in our lives, college life.