Senior Spotlight!

By Shuling Lin

In order to know how seniors truly feel about having their senior year during COVID-19, I interviewed seniors Holly Hruskoci, Shuqi Lin, Sravan Mandipudi, and Nikhil Sadavarte about their experience.

Without a doubt every student has been affected by COVID-19 and remote learning. The class of 2021 though, has had the unique challenge of having their entire senior year, and part of their junior year, be either remote or hybrid. With arguably the most important time for college and their final year of high school socially distant, this senior class has had many hurdles.

When asked which school event they wished they would have experienced the most, the answers ranged from as small as sitting outside at the senior plaza during lunch with friends, to events as large as prom. This year, social distancing has made it difficult for seniors to get their senior privileges. Sitting outside at lunch has become limited, and when you do get to sit outside you have to sit alone. Seniors are still getting some privileges, like leaving early or coming in late depending on their study. They also get dismissed first and have small rewards like Senior Raffle and many other fun things their class officers are putting together.

As this is their last year of school, many seniors are sad about what they are missing out on. Class officer and athlete Holly Hruskoci had this to say about what one thing she wishes she could do in her extracurriculars. “As a Class Officer, it’s been tough to not be able to experience our usual events and fundraisers. Fingers crossed for being able to celebrate in the best way this spring. As an athlete, I’m so appreciative of having a season, but I do still miss the typical team bonding activities and big playoff games that we’ve had in years past.” Sravan Mandepud, and Shuqi Lin, echoed her thoughts about missing team bonding pasta parties and even just high-fiving and hugging teammates.

When asked if they had any college application advice for others the thoughts were to start early and keep everything organized. They added that what you put in, is what you will get out. If you worked hard during high school all will be fine. Common responses were to also keep options open looking at a bunch of different factors like location, cost, programs, and more. Seniors warned against applying to too many schools as you will only end up attending one and it can be difficult to keep track of. At the same time, it doesn’t hurt to apply to a school even if you think that you don’t have a shot of getting in.

Advice for current freshmen and everyone at SHS was to join a club, sports team, or any extracurricular activity as soon as possible. President of the Speech and Debate team Nikhil Sadavarte wanted the freshmen to know this, “The school is constantly pushing freshmen and sophomores to join a club or team at SHS and they do it for a reason. Being on a SHS team offers you a chance to slowly integrate yourself into the school and allows you to exhibit some school pride. It lets you feel like you are a part of something bigger, something more meaningful than just yourself. By the time you're an upperclassmen, that club or team will be your family and have opened thousands of new doors to success for you.” Sravan recommended you go to an event where you have to travel and stay overnight. He mentioned his best memories from those trips. Holly added that every SHS student should take the time to experience and appreciate all the different types of talent and exploration that takes place in our school. She said that it can be just as beneficial to support your classmates in ways such as attending sports games, plays/musicals, club events, concerts, and much more. Additionally, Basim Naeem said that everyone at SHS should try the taco salad bowl at least once in their high school career.

With Senioritis hitting many seniors this second semester, they’re excited to head off to college and try something new. At the same time, they’ll miss seeing their friends and the faculty at SHS. The class of 2021 at SHS are HERE 2 W1N and it couldn’t be any more obvious, they leave behind their impact to our community and their advice for those to continue their legacy.