Seniors Face Fears for Their Future
by Haeyeon Kang
Seniors are being faced with the tough reality of closing a huge chapter in their lives and entering a new one. Fear has been consuming the students with so many different “what ifs?” floating in the air. The inevitability of drifting apart from friends and wondering if they’ll actually be “successful,” whatever that means.
Seniors have gone through transitions before, graduating both elementary and middle school, but this feels different. They’re becoming adults, becoming independent, many leaving their families and friends behind and entering a new state, some even a new country.
Senior film major Kali Tapper feels this upcoming change to be frightening but exciting. “Although I’m excited to leave the city, I’m terrified of basically everything,” she says laughing. That’s the general consensus among all the seniors with varying degrees of fear.
One thing that has been weighing on their minds is the inevitability of drifting apart from friends. Less than 10 percent of people stay friends with their high school friends.
Film major Patrycja Stawowy hates thinking about it and can’t imagine it happening.
“I am very excited to never see certain people again but I am so sad people will probably move out or we will just outgrow each other,” she adds.
Art major Edona Hasanaj feels the pressure of not being able to push through college and give up.
“I’m worried that my drive in college will go down and that I’ll burn out. Especially if I go out of state and have no friends or family to help me stay motivated I’m afraid I’ll let myself give up and find it really hard to catch up again,” she says.
Contrary to the previous students, Rodolfo Rodriguez and Olivia Stripling (drama and dance majors, respectively) are ready to start a new chapter in their lives.
“I just think it’s the course of life, that you’re eventually going to have to move on and move on to different things,” Rodolfo says. He knows he’ll miss the kids around him, but knows the people that are most important will stay in his life and those who aren’t won’t.
Olivia knows it’ll be hard to leave everyone, but she’s prepared to begin her adult life.
“Personally, I’m ready for a new phase of my life but I do think that as the year goes on and we graduate I’ll probably be really upset,” she said.
Although seniors are extremely overwhelmed and scared, Journalism and AP Language teacher Mr. Scheiner shares some hope for Sinatra seniors.
“The future will always be scary. But if we all knew what the future held for us, life would be boring. If you were to tell my younger self that I was going to end up becoming a high school English teacher, working in the same school as my wife, I would have looked at you sideways. But that’s the mystery of life, not knowing what is going to happen. It may take some time, but the class of ’22 will find their footing, purpose and ultimately success. Life will work out for you because it always does. Never say no to an opportunity and be sure to measure success in the way that makes you happy—not what it means for other people,” he said.