As a seventh grader at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, I absolutely could not wait until I was a senior. On television, if you are a senior in high school it equates to being the kings and queens of the school. When thinking about next year Emily Kurylak ‘20 says, “I am really excited for senior year. At the same time I am a little worried to start all those college application”. The same can be said for many of the juniors here at Whitney Young. They see the open Common Application and Naviance tab open on all the seniors computers during instructional, lunch, or sometimes a senior will sneak an essay in during class. Along with all the homework that is given there is a ton to do for seniors. I honestly can’t remember any senior who has not said they were extremely stressed. Elizabeth Craan ‘19, like many other seniors, describes herself as “slowly losing motivation”. After the November 1st deadline there was a ton of relief for some but there is still so much to do including scholarships, CSS profiles, and other schools students may plan to apply to later.

Overall, college is everywhere. It’s in our homes when our family asks for updates and in our minds minds, hoping for that one special school. Arihana Figureroa ‘19 perfectly sums up the feeling towards all this new found attention, “I think adults mean well but it’s very unrealistic for them to expect us to know exactly what we want to do with our future and to know exactly what we want to study or pursue a career in”. I agree completely. This time last year most of us may have not even thought about our future. We are young and carefree. Now suddenly we are told to make these life altering decisions.

Now, to end with a positive note, I hope that everyone gets into their dream college but more importantly that seniors are able to relax. There will always be school and work, but everyone must always remember that there is a plan for us and no matter the path we take our success depends on us. Everyday make sure to take a little time for yourself and have fun. No one ever looked back at their life wishing they worked more. It’s ‘SENIOR SZN’ and while we have a lot to do never forget that this is our year.