Seniors are getting ready to clear, final grades will soon be posted as graduation closes in. Graduation can be a fun time but it can also be stressful.

As students look back on their last year of high school some wonder what might have been different.

“To be completely honest, my final year does not feel like my final year. There’s nothing significant about it. It feels like we’re just going through another year of school, but now we’re doing it while stuck at home. This school year might be a year to remember, but not for the right reasons,” senior Angel Galvez said. 

With the choice to stay online or return to school students faced a tough decision.

“I wanted to go back in person just because I wanted to experience in-person school one last time, but it was just too risky, and it wasn’t worth it. Although I would’ve liked to go to in-person school, I think staying at home was the right choice,” Galvez said.

Whether one is in school in-person or online certain tasks must be completed to graduate and the date is only two months away. Seniors must have completed Apply Texas and have sent their application to UTEP, EPCC, and another school of their choice as well as getting the necessary amount of credits to graduate.

“As a district, completing the FAFSA was a requirement since next year it will be a state mandate,” Go-center specialist Julieta Rodriguez said.

With high school coming to a close students are looking toward obtaining a higher education and finishing the application process.

“I applied to five schools, UTEP, UNT, NMSU, EPCC, AND Texas Tech University,” senior Abigail Sanchez said. “I got accepted into all the schools I applied to.”

Because higher education isn’t free it can be intimidating to find a way to pay for it.

“There are many scholarships available for students. The local scholarships should be something that the student should consider since our community wants to help students pay for college. A great resource to look for scholarships is the YISD website: https://www.yisd.net/Page/13834,” Rodriguez said. “Completing the FAFSA application, applying for scholarships, joining the ROTC program at the college, working and student loans are various ways to pay for college.”

Colleges accept students from across the street or from different parts of the country but students have to decide what is best for them.

“That is still a decision that I have to make. I am still in between staying at UTEP or leaving home and going to Texas Tech,” Galvez said.

Being far from home can be too much for some students but for others it’s perfect.

“I am excited about leaving, meeting new people, and starting my own life outside of my parents. Nevertheless, I will miss my family, friends, and my life here in general,” Sanchez said.

It can be intimidating to be alone in a new city, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

“Join clubs and organizations that you are interested in. You will see a lot of these clubs during orientation, ask questions and then decide if they are something you want to belong to. Select a dorm that has students majoring in the same major so that you have someone to study with. Go hang out at the rec center and join an intramural sport,” Rodriguez said.

College can be a leap of faith, it’s hard to tell what is in store.

“College can be an exciting time, but it can also make you feel scared whether you leave or stay local. This is normal, you are not alone in these feelings. Make sure to manage your time correctly; get an agenda and create a schedule a time to study, eat, sleep, exercise and shower. Show up to class. Don’t register for a class if you know that you are not going to show up. You will be setting yourself up for failure. Lastly, study hard, but enjoy yourself too. Maybe take a class that has nothing to do with your major and seems fun,” Rodriguez said.

When applying to schools one never knows what could happen.

“It’s important to have confidence in yourself. I got into all the schools I applied to and it makes me wonder how much further I could’ve gone,” Galvez said.