By Madison Kane
editors@antonnews.com
As the 2022-2023 school year comes to a close, seniors at Jericho High School reflect on the past four years and look ahead to see what the future has in store.
Saying goodbye to years of memories, long days and longer nights, and new experiences is not easy. Jericho High School Senior Neha M., who has been a student in the district since second grade, describes her experience as bittersweet and expresses her gratitude for new memories and friendships made. She said, “My senior year has been bittersweet and went by way faster than I could have ever imagined. I’m so grateful for all the new friends I made and the experiences of having ‘the last time’ doing things.”
Neha plans on going to Cornell University to study Applied Economics and Management.
Jenna T., Jericho Board of Education Representative and senior at Jericho High School, also thinks her final year has been bittersweet. Her year has been chaotic, but predominantly positive despite the mixture of emotions and chaos. “The beginning of senior year definitely had a learning curve, but after surviving college application season I feel like I have a better grasp on how to budget my time. The whole experience has been pretty eye-opening too, especially because you’re practically being asked to define yourself on college applications. I think my experience at Jericho has been a pretty good one, and it’s going to be a bittersweet end,” she said.
Jenna plans on going to Georgetown University, hopefully to double major in Government and Philosophy.
Sam K., another senior at Jericho High School and one of his grade’s valedictorians, likewise believes the end of his high school career will be sentimental. “It was incredibly rewarding to accomplish so many goals that I had been working for, for years, but at the same time, it is sad to think about moving on from a place that has been a part of my life for so long,” he said.
Sam plans on attending the University of Virginia, planning to major in Commerce with a concentration in Finance.
With COVID-19 interrupting their sophomore year, these seniors had to adjust to new norms and online school, and the ability to connect with others and collaborate was quickly taken away. Neha M. said, “I think Covid made the high school experience a lot more difficult in terms of connecting with others.”
However, for Jenna T., Covid impacted her hobbies and broadened her horizon of pastimes. “For me, COVID changed a lot of my interests – being at home, I didn’t get to do a lot of hands-on activities like engineering and remote-learning made it pretty difficult to focus on serious school work so I turned my interests to more art and reading instead,” Jenna said.
After four years of hard work, virtual school, and standardized tests, the class of 2023 has earned themselves some time off and a relaxing summer. Sam K. plans on doing minimal academic work and wishes for ample relaxation time before he departs for Charlottesville. “This summer, I hope to find work, relax, and spend time with my friends before we all go in different directions.
Neha M. is spending her summer interning for Clever Devices, a company that helps public transportation providers to run their services more efficiently, save money, and provide better services to their riders. She has been involved in various events with Jericho High School’s FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America, club for a few years, and she desires to continue down the business path. Neha said, “I’m really looking forward to getting hands-on business experience before going off to college.”
(Contributed photo)
After growing up and spending over a decade in Jericho, leaving will not be a simple task. As time progressed, many relationships and lifelong friendships and irreplaceable bonds have been made. Sam K. acknowledges that making the transition may be sentimental. “I think the part of Jericho that I will miss most is all of the people,” he said.
“Everyone was so supportive and helpful during my time here, and it will be hard to move on from both friends and staff,” Sam added.
Congratulations to Jericho High School’s Class of 2023! You have all accomplished so much! There are big things ahead of you!
