Preparing for Life After High School

As the last school year has started, many students begin to plan for life after high school. For some, that means college and new cities, for others, it means military service or dreams of working internationally. What they all have in common is excitement and a bit of uncertainty about what lies ahead.

For senior Sy Nairne, the future could take him across the country. “I’m applying for the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut, and then a couple of CSUs in California,” Nairne said. Among the schools he’s considering are CSU Monterey Bay and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, two popular choices for many in the area. The preparations for the admissions process require structure and effort. “I have a college counselor that I use,” he said. Nairne is interested in the Coast Guard, and in the American military. 

Looking back on his high school years, he has mixed feelings. He thinks it feels good to be done with high school, but “it feels kind of weird that it’s already over,” he said. What he’ll miss most is sports. “Getting to play sports,” he said. He plays water polo. For younger students, he has clear advice, “Take as many harder classes as you can, like the AP classes and the honors classes, because they give you a boost forward.”

Another senior is Phaedra Fernflores. She’s also planning her next step after high school. “Hopefully Cal Poly if I get in and if not, maybe CSU Long Beach or San Francisco State,” she said. Fernflores said that preparing for college was a lot about getting advice and doing her own research. “I think talking to my parents and talking to my teacher about it is good. And then also doing research online and looking at the college websites to see their different programs is helping me,” she said.

Fernflores dreams of a career in international relations or political science. “I want to do something like international relations or political science hopefully, maybe work for the UN,” she said. Like many others, she also has mixed feelings about finishing school. “I think it’s bittersweet because I don’t want to leave all my friends from home, but I’m excited to go somewhere new and meet new people,” she said. She is especially looking forward to standing on her own two feet and living alone, as it gives her the opportunity to become more independent.

What she will miss most is the closeness of a small school. “Since we go to a small school knowing everybody and I like to see people around that I know all the time,” she said. For both Nairne and Fernflores, a new chapter is fast approaching. Whether it’s through military service, college or international ambitions, they’re looking to the future.