Opinion

Seniors Set Goals for the Future

By Caroline Sekel

647/600 words

On June 24, 2015 the Columbia High School (CHS) class of 2015 will officially graduate high school. They will leave behind the home they've known for most of their lives and move on to bigger and better things at college and beyond. Everything they accomplished in high school was leading up to this moment. As graduates, they will look back on all of the things they did in high school: AP tests, SAT's, ACT’s, countless quizzes and projects. They will look to the future and think about they still have left to achieve.

Students at CHS are a motivated group. They are driven to achieve their goals and always strive for success. Whether it’s getting on honor roll or winning a championship in sports CHS students want to be the best they can be. This value of success and achievement is cultivated and encourages throughout their high school careers and will continue to play a role in their lives past graduation.

In high school, students are constantly in an environment where they are pushed to succeed in academics and extracurricular activities as well as in their social lives. They are constantly encouraged to become well rounded people, successful in many endeavors. This environment in high school puts students in a goal-oriented mindset, preparing to set and achieve goals in the future.

As CHS graduates leave high school to start the next chapter in their lives, many have big plans for the future. They will continue to set goals and achieve them and will shoot for success in whatever they choose to do.

Kelsey Moore, '15, attests to this. "I was always pushed to work hard in high school - by teachers, parents, and friends. I think it has prepared me for the future in that I always want to work hard to succeed in what I'm doing. Hard work and a desire for success are important qualities to have going forward in life," says Moore. Gaby Matalon, ‘15, agrees as well. She explains how all of her teachers made her work harder and be the best she could be. “Although I didn’t appreciate it while I was in their classes, all of my difficult teachers pushed me to be better,” says Matalon. “They graded harshly, especially on assignments they thought were below my potential, and while I resented them for it at the time I now appreciate it because it made me do my best work constantly in order to get a good grade.”

Moore’s hard work and desire for success made it possible for her to attend New York University (NYU) in the fall. She has big plans for her future at college and beyond. “I think a lot of the goals I’ve already set for myself stem from the values instilled in me from high school,” says Moore. She intends to major in American studies in order to help with conflicts in the country regarding issues of race, gender, social class, and many more.

Matalon will be attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in the falls and she is sure her habits of hard work in high school will carry over to college. “I know the professors at UNC will be the same, probably harder than my teachers at [CHS] and I’m going to work just as hard,” she says. Matalon has not decided on a major or career path but she explains she plans to be successful in whatever she does and achieve all the goals she sets for herself.

The high school environment, especially that at CHS is one that values achievement and success very highly. It encourages and cultivates a desire and motivation in students for improvement and success. The values taught and learned at CHS will stay with the 2015 graduates for the rest of their lives as they strive to succeed in college and beyond.

Seniors toss caps to celebrate graduation
Image courtesy of freedomoutpost.com