Preparing for Your Future By: Manuel Colorado

Many students in high school focus are about enjoying the time they have left in high school. While some are set on preparing for their future outside of high school. Preparing for your future can come with some obstacles some cannot avoid them. Kennedy Ryans a junior at Hillgrove High School stated, “a challenge for me, I would say probably paying for college”. Many people around the world struggle to pay the cost of tuition or student housing. According to NAFSAA, “Out of over 1,500 U.S. college students, 59% said they considered dropping out due to financial stress”. To counter-act these problems some people learn how to start saving early on so they can at least have some experience with budgeting. Kennedy stated, “I would say I could start learning how to budget”. While even saving just a little amount of money could benefit someone in their future.

Being in high school can be the building block to set your future. Having good grades and a good GPA can get some people into college, some choose to play a sport. Trinity Holloway a junior at Hillgrove High School said, “Like a sport could help a person get into a college or university like cheer”. Playing a sport can better your chances to get an offer to go to a college just for playing a sport. According to ivywise, “Examining your extracurricular activities and determining how to best develop your interests is a large part of the college prep process, and many students wait until the last minute to make adjustments to their time commitments.” Having a job while still being in school can stress you out and cause a lot of stress. Trinity stated, “Still having a life out of work while still having to worry about just a little” Having a job can be beneficial while sometimes it can be draining and stressful.

Being with your friends in high school can help students enjoy their time in high school stress free. Emma Zigovzki a junior at Hillgrove said, “Friendships and relationships in the future could play out in a beneficial way. Forming bonds with others overall improves the quality of life, as you learn life lessons from others.” Many people would rather have their friends by their side so they can enjoy some time together. According to the American Psychological Association, “Fortunately, research also suggests that friendships can be made and maintained at any age, relationships with friends can strengthen or stand in for romantic relationships, and even minimal social interactions can be powerful”. Some people fear for their future and what it holds for them. Emma stated, “I’m fearful of not being successful. I could address this fear by preparing myself in high school by getting good grades, actively participating in my community, and building strong bonds with my classmates”. While some students fear some are ready to brave the challenge of their future.