A Life Beyond Badin: Nervous or Excited?

By: Michael Madden

This bizarre school year comes to an uneventful close for the Senior Class this week. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Seniors have completed their last couple of weeks at Badin taking online classes.

With uncertainty surrounding their future, and the future of our world as a whole, we decided to interview the Senior Class about whether they are excited or nervous for a life outside of Badin High School.

Seniors such as Brode Gibson are ecstatic about what opportunities await them in university life.

“I’m more excited than anything else to take the next steps in my educational career,” said Gibson, “I can finally study what I want to and what I’m interested in, no what I’m forced to learn.”

Brode will be continuing his swimming career at Ohio Wesleyan University, where he will be majoring in zoology. Although the swimmer is excited to make new friends and make his mark in the world, Gibson guarantees that he’ll never forget where he came from.

“I’m the first person to tell you how much I love this school,” said Brode, “The people who refuse to see the good and the features that differ Badin from other schools are only blinding themselves to the doors that Badin opens up to them, and the opportunities they have at Badin.”

Senior Jada Lucas has also enjoyed her Badin experience and is excited to attend Northern Kentucky University in the fall, where she’ll be majoring in biology.

“Badin has been super fun, but it’ll be exciting to go to a place where no one knows me and start fresh,” said Lucas.

Although Jada is eager to pursue a career of pediatric psychiatry, she will always remember her time with the Ramily.

“Starting a different life sounds really exciting, and I have big plans for the future,” said Lucas, “But I’ve made a lot of close connections to teachers and friends and I won’t be able to be a part of Badin Rocks anymore, which really stinks.”

Maddie Mills, a fellow member of Badin Rocks, has a similar outlook for her future, excited to attend Miami University to double major in secondary education and community relations.

“I’m excited to find my own path and have an identity that doesn’t start with just a Badin High School student,” expressed Mills.

Maddie has truly enjoyed her experience at Badin, hoping to return in the future to take a role in the religion department.

“It’s very bittersweet,” said Maddie, discussing her departure from Badin, “It’s been a place that became so normal and familiar, and I will miss it, but I’m happy to move forward in my life.”

Senior Katie Hopewell is thrilled about entering the real world and hopes to be treated like an adult.

“Moving forward, I feel like we are going to be taken more seriously,” said Hopewell, “I’m also very excited about gaining new life experience, meeting new friends, and really figuring out what I’m interested in.”

Hopewell will be attending Toledo University later this fall, double majoring in history and political science. She aspires to be a prosecuting attorney in the future.

Senior Garrett Eldridge is also ready to discover himself as he attends Miami University in Oxford to study supply chain operations management.

“I’ll be able to get to meet new people, explore the world, and find out who I am,” said Eldridge,” I’m happy to start the next stage of my life.”

Although most of the Senior Class is excited for a life beyond Badin High School, some students are nervous for the uncertainty surrounding the future.

One of these students is senior Max Hall, who will be attending Northern Kentucky University, majoring in computer science in jazz studies.

“I’m both nervous and excited,” said Hall discussing his future, “I'm nervous because it's a whole new time period in my life where I am on my own, while also being around new people I don't know.”

Even though senior Leah Krause is concerned about a different routine, she is still energetic to attend the University of Cincinnati to major in neuroscience.

“I’m excited to see how well I do in college, but I’m nervous about how life is going to be outside of an environment that I know so well,” said Krause.

Leah plans to attend medical school in the future as she hopes to become a neuropsychologist. Although Krause is excited about this career, she will miss Badin due to the sudden conclusion to her senior year.

“There’s definitely things that I wanted to do before I left Badin,” said Krause, reflecting on her final months of high school, “I wanted to have a Senior night for softball, prom, and I most definitely wanted to see my class and have a graduation ceremony. I wanted to accomplish a lot more.”

Senior Caitlyn Conrad has a similar reaction to leaving a school that has meant a lot to her over the years.

“I’m very nervous about leaving the place I called home for the past four years,” said Conrad, “But I’m so excited for everything the new chapter will bring.”

Caitlyn hopes to attend the University of Xavier with her major being undecided in business. Although she’s excited for her future endeavors, the senior is disappointed she didn’t receive proper closure to her final year of high school.

“Before the quarantine started, I was reaching a point that I would feel happy to leave Badin and start the next chapter,” said Conrad, “Now that the closure of leaving my classmates and teachers has been taken away, I find myself very sad and unprepared.”

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has cancelled the original graduation plans, Badin’s administration has introduced individual graduation ceremonies to give the Senior Class a little bit of closure. The excitement for the future is shared by the Class of 2020 as they all leave Badin High School with amazing memories they can hold onto forever.