Peyton Fitzgerald

Peyton Fitzgerald - Class of 2017

For the majority of my life, I rarely felt challenged. I cannot say that I knew what failure was or how to adequately deal with it. I had always been regarded as 'the smart kid, and that was what I found my identity in- perfect grades. High school hit like a boulder. After getting my first-ever B in a class (freshman english- I’m sure people can relate), I didn’t know what to do with myself. It seemed like I had lost my identity. On the bus ride home later that week, I was speaking to one of my friends about how the B in this class meant the end of the world (bit of an exaggeration am I right?). She immediately turned to me and said something along the lines of "The fact that school is supposed to teach, and the grade is second to having learned something isn't right." If I had grown from taking that class, being challenged, and failing just a bit, then I had learned something, and that is something to be excited about. I have taken this advice with me throughout high school. I can say that I have done worse in classes and failed in greater capacities many times since then, but I learned that is not what has to define me- I can learn from everything. Fail or succeed, love what you are doing or hate it, that doesn’t matter. Everything serves as a basis for growth. I have flaws (many of them actually) and so does everyone else, but taking this simple idea to heart makes sure that the lows don’t get too low, and life can be good even when it seems bad. Bring it on college...

Cole Schildkraut

Cole Schildkraut - Class of 2019

I don’t remember my childhood. I moved here when I was 9 and I can’t remember anything before that. That was over half my life that I don’t even remember, which is weird to think about. Though there are a few things that I do remember. I remember waiting when my sister was born and the nurse came over and yelled at us. I woke up and had heartburn. I just remember it was stinging in my throat. But other than that, I don’t remember that day. I remember the potato wedges at the Albertson’s in Santa Fe, because when I was younger my parents used to just put me in the cart and give me those so I would shut up while we’d go shopping. I remember the public pool. We went there like 5 times and it was disgusting. I remember my swing set. I used to sit on it and you know how you twist yourself up? Yeah, I used to unravel and wheeeeeee. And spin. I don’t remember my house much. I don’t remember school. I remember some people but I don’t remember some people. I kept in touch with one girl a while ago but I haven’t talked to her in years. She was one of my best friends but I don’t remember anything about that. Except I remember one day we just sat there on the back porch on the swing looking out over the desert. I remember that: my backyard was just trees and sand. 

That was it.

Ellie Keveny

Ellie Keveny - Class of 2020

I've always been told that I'm a very focused person and a slight perfectionist. I don't get distracted in class or while doing homework. I can sit down and do something without letting my surroundings faze me. I don't want an A on an assignment, I want an A+. I keep studying even after I know the material, and I always try to exceed expectations. I guess being a perfectionist and focused is a good thing because having these traits helps me feel prepared. I have a very good idea of what I want to do when I'm older, and I continue to work towards my goals. However, being so focused and being a perfectionist can also have its downfalls. Sometimes I get so focused on the future that I forget to live in the moment. Whenever I make a mistake, I become so focused on it that I sometimes cannot move past it. If I look at my grades and have anything less than an A, I become disappointed in myself. Focusing on the future so much and worrying about my grades and mistakes is draining. However, there are advantages to being a focused overachiever. This past summer I used these traits to start my own photography business. Photography has always been an outlet for me, and it is an activity that helps me, and probably many others feel more in the moment. I may not be there now, but I am learning to live in the moment. After all, the present is called the "present" for a reason.

Stephanie Veerman

Stephanie Veerman - Class of 2018

I've always been really enthusiastic and outgoing, but last year I got diagnosed with anxiety and panic disorder. All of the things that I used to love to do like singing and acting, especially in front of people, I would panic when I went out to do it. This was really different for me and I went into depression about it because this was always something I wanted. Acting was my escape. In college I wanted to be a theater major and my dream was to eventually be on Broadway. I went to New York this summer to see a Broadway show and I just didn't like it. I was really panicked the whole time and it was really weird for me because I didn't want that for myself anymore. This year it's been really interesting because I've been dealing with how to balance that I'm changing. It's been kind of sad but it's also been really eye-opening because I've always heard that people changed, but I never thought I would change everything, what I want to do in life, and my whole entire personality. I'm still happy and outgoing but I now want to go into the medical field and help people like this. I want to go into phycology and really study why this happens. Everything happens for a reason and I think this happened to because I can help other people with it, too.

Evan Kneedler

Evan Kneedler - Class of 2020

When I was in 4^th grade, I was playing soccer with my friend James. He got injured about halfway through the game and ended up having broken his wrist, but I didn’t know it at the time. I was playing goalie and we were loosing like 0-6 so I didn’t really care, so I pretended to dive into the goal post and hurt my wrist so I could sit out with James. At the end of the game, the coach came up to my mom and told her that he thought I should go to the hospital because he thought that I was really injured. I said that it wasn’t necessary, but my mom’s a nurse so she said that I had to go get 

x-rays. I got x-rays done, and it turned out that I actually had a broken wrist the whole time. I went back like 6 months later to get my cast off and it was still broken so I just live with both broken wrists.

Brian Lucchesi

Brian Lucchesi - Class of 2019

Within the past 3 or 4 months I’ve felt like I’ve been falling to the background of my parents’ attention. With my siblings being 2 ½, they need a lot of attention. I’m 16. I don’t need that much attention nor do I require it. But, going from doing stuff with my parents over the weekend to sitting in the house for the weekend is a complete 180 from what I’m used to having. That’s different; upsetting at times, because then when I ask to go away and do something with friends, my parents are upset since I’m not spending time with them. The conflict has struck between my father and I, and has now given him a reason to be upset with me. The time that I spend there is uninteresting, which makes me want to leave early. It’s a vicious cycle and trade-off, because I love my brother and sister but time there becomes tedious.

Saba Whitmore

Saba Whitmore - Class of 2017

When I was 14, I realized that I was gay. As an awkward 8th grader trying to figure out why I thought girls were attractive, this was the hardest thing to accept. No one ever talks about sexuality and what to do if you're questioning yourself. So I spent the next four years in absolute fear and self-loathing because I couldn't accept it. I didn't want to be the "lesbian" of my grade. In my experience, people always joked about stuff like that. No one ever took it seriously. As a direct result, I spent from 8th grade to the summer before senior year hating myself for it and creating a lot of fear, anxiety, and depression.

I didn't get the courage to tell anyone until my junior year where I spent a solid 2 hours crying over FaceTime to my best friend and swearing her to secrecy until I was ready to tell anyone else. Five more cole people later, and the fear slowly started to fade away. Knowing the people you care about accept you for something you couldn't even accept yourself for, is the best feeling in the world. It was the biggest weight of depression and anxiety lifted off of my shoulders.

Coming out wasn't a matter of having everyone accept me, it was a matter of being ready for that kind of judgment and owning it no matter what was said about me. So here I am senior year, out and proud, and it's one of the best decisions of my life. I don't care what others think of me; therefore, the only opinion of me that matters is mine. And I love me!

Luke Dione

Luke Dione - Class of 2020

I’ve been playing basketball my whole life. When it came time for travel season, I really thought I was going to make the A team because I’ve been practicing so much. When I finally found out what team I was on, I made the B team. I was kind of disappointed but I thought it would be a good experience. So I practiced more and more, and the year after I tried as hard as I could and still made the B team. The third year, I tried out for the third time and I finally made the A team. I was really happy because from the B team I thought I’d learn a lot, but when I finally went on the A team there was just so much more. It had an impact on my life because when I found out I was on the B team, it didn’t make me happy since I’ve been practicing for so long. When I finally made the A team, I was just really happy. I did really good the first year, but I knew I could do better so I wanted to practice even more. Last year, I tried out and made the A team again and I did really well. I didn’t even know I could do that good. I was just really proud of myself.

Maddie Wilson

Maddie Wilson - Class of 2019

Okay, hear me out. I get good grades and I feel like I am the poster child for what a student should be. However, if I had it my way and I could control myself, I would be wild (not disrespectful) and just a fun person to have in class that would be average and get B’s or something. I wouldn’t care and let things get in my head and everything. I wouldn’t be upset if I got anything less than an A, and it would just be about the ride and not about the grade, you know? Honestly, I hate being the smart one because I feel like being the smart one is such a dominant trait that people associate you with, but it’s so meaningless and it’s so empty. If I had the option between being the fun one or being the smart one, and I would be either fun or smart, I would choose fun all the way. I’d rather be a good person to hang out with or be known for something that’s more about my personality and more about who I am on the inside, than about the standards that I need to achieve on the outside.