By Madelein Perez ’17
Graduation is approaching seniors! With four months left until graduation, everything seems closer and easier to do. However, many senior students struggle to make it through the end. Sometimes the feelings of knowing that we are almost at the finish line and getting that diploma through all of our hard work are the most fascinating feelings.
Through senior year, students tend to work very hard through the first semester, but often give up on the last one, making it difficult for them to get back out of that dark hole that they digged themselves in. According to Sandra Quiroz, a senior, “I have a [very] hard time focusing in classes because of the homework and other priorities that I have.” Quiroz tries to make sure that she’s doing well but gets distracted easily. Classes are the hardest part of senior year because it is the time of the year in where we have to own up to our own mistakes and make sure that we’re on top of everything and not miss a small detail. According to Vanessa Ordas, a senior, “what motivates me to keep going is being able to graduate and go to a good college, and making my family proud” Ordas stated.
Advisory is heaven to some seniors, because that’s a way they manage their time to finish some homework or do other school-related things. According to Crystal Montijo, a senior, “I manage my time by doing some homework and when I finish doing my personal things, I go back to school work again.” Montijo takes advantage in advisory to get her work done to have more time to get more stuff done outside of school.
Seniors have a hard time at Pritzker because applying to colleges is a struggle for many, having the little anxiety of knowing if any colleges are going to admit you into their campuses, having to make tough decisions of deciding whether we want to stay home or live on campus or out of state. According to Quiroz, she states, “I get really bad anxiety trying to get it together when it comes to making sure that I’m on track with my college applications and acceptances.” Quiroz has gotten accepted to 4 colleges and is waiting on more acceptances. While she waits on acceptances, she focuses on her school work and doing good.
During senior year, seniors are required to write a ten-page paper about a topic that they are most interested in within a time of five months, called the senior project with the help of a senior advisor. It determines walking at graduation. According to Jessica Rivera, a senior, the senior project gives me headaches because of all of the deadlines due, also essays on top of other essays plus after school activities makes it hard to keep up with” Rivera stated.
Senior year is a very hard time for senior advisors as well, many of them have to be stressing about their advisees and making sure that their are doing alright in their academics and passing all the requirements that seniors need to graduate.
According to Caroline Schwartz, a senior advisor, freshman environmental science teacher states, “Meeting requirements has caused me stress all four years, but this year it is especially stressful because it will mean walking at graduation or not.” Schwartz wants the best for her advisees and loves helping them out to meet their requirements to see them walk in graduation.
Being a senior isn’t as easy as it seems, it’s probably one of the most calmed years at Pritzker but it can also be the most stressing. Seniors have a lot of motivation given to them, they cheer each other up because it isn’t easy at all being a senior at Pritzker. We are like a little family making it through together for the past three years and a half.
