The Future of 2023 Again

What once was 425 days is now 59 days. 

The seniors of Lakeland High School are gearing up to graduate in two months by making and setting plans. 

Throughout the four years of high school, most students go through hundreds of career ideas before settling on one in their senior year. 

Some may not settle on a plan their senior year and will graduate without knowing what they will do. 

In just one year, everything changes from perspectives to plans. 

Tori Haney wanted to attend college and become a hair or nail person last year. After she graduates, she will get a dental assistant certificate under one of her mom’s office branches. Once done with that, she plans to go to Eastern Washington College to get a hygienist degree. 

Last year she said, “I will move out of the house as soon as I graduate,” but this year, she said, “I will wait until I am done with school and am stable enough to move out.”

Becoming an adult comes with all the pressures and money issues that were unknown to most at a young age. Seniors are flooded with information on how to care for themselves, so many plans can change because of these unknown responsibilities. 

Marina Herrera has become very independent and self-reliant throughout the past year. She once planned on going to an Idaho college and is now committed to moving to Hawaii to attend the University of Manoa. 

She once said she planned to get a real estate license and now plans to attend business school. 

LHS seniors bounce ideas off each other when figuring out what they want to do post-graduation. Often students’ career futures switch amongst the class of seniors. 

Trey South was once excited to graduate and still very much is. Throughout the past year, he has looked into the many options that are out there and, through that, has changed tremendously. Last year he planned to go to trade school, but this year he has decided to go into real estate. After graduation, he will get a real estate license, work for a few years, and start investing. 

Sometimes everything changes, and other times nothing changes at all. People can often make a plan and stay on that plan throughout the years. 

John Meredith has been planning to become a track hoe operator for multiple years now and has yet to find any other plan that interests him. After graduation, he will work for a company that deals with septic, electrical, sewer, and more. Eventually, he hopes to get his dad’s share of the business and have a wife and some kids.  

“I hope to peak later in life. I’m going to keep going up,” Meredith said. 

Every senior has a plan of their own; some will become successful, and others may fail at life.

I personally have had a mix of changes and non-changes in my plans. Last year I said I wanted to go to college, and after that, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life; this year, my sort of plan stays the same. I loosely planned to join the Army a year ago, and now I could still see myself doing that, but only if I start to fail or run out of career ideas in the future.

I wanted to be comfortable with money and have a stable career in my early adulthood stages, and that is still the hopeful plan. 

I think having no plan at all is perfectly fine because that makes life interesting.