Graduation can be a touchy subject to some and rightfully so to the fact that most people lose contact with each other and branch off and become different people. If you play a sport it can be especially hard because of the type of bond you built with your teammates and coaches. The bond that will hopefully keep us connected in some way. It’s the stepping stone to adulthood that most people look forward to throughout our high school years. But some aren’t ready to let go and venture off into the real world.

 Some are more than ready to leave and wish they could make graduation come by faster. For the class of 2023 our high school careers got rocked our sophomore year by the pandemic.  Our freshman year we basically went on spring break and never came back until we were juniors. The 2020-2021 school year would slow down everything for us from sports to academics. Some students needed hands-on learning which they couldn’t get and athletes suffered in the recruitment process. Some students thrived in online school but others like myself had issues learning through a computer screen. Despite the struggle of the pandemic we got through it and continued our high school careers and tried to make the most out of the time we had left. Our junior year was supposed to be the year everything felt normal again but to no one’s surprise it didn’t. I interviewed other seniors around campus to see their views on graduation to see how they felt about it.

I interviewed Mario Vasquez-Rocha, Azim Muhammad, Eddy Nieto, and Donavin Hall. Mario is an athlete who transferred from Pacifica high school towards the end of junior year. Mario joined the football team even though he previously played soccer. Football helped Mario find something he loves and he will continue to try to pursue it at Fullerton College. Mario says he feels like part of a community and that he’s not alone after transferring to BPHS. Azim is very excited about graduation; he says that he is ready to move onto the next chapter in his life. He plans to get his real estate license while still trying to pursue football for as long as he can. Eddy’s answer was a little different and not what one would expect but very honest. Eddy will majoring in welding at Fullerton College and he is going to play football. The past couple of years have been stressful for Eddy, he believes a weight has been lifted off his shoulders in a sense. Lastly, Donavin Hall said, “ I feel amazing because now he has really started life”. It’s understandable why people like Eddy and Donavin are so ready to graduate. It feels like we didn’t have a complete high school career but there isn’t anything we can do about it so we are forced to move on.

 As of now we have about 2 weeks left until we graduate and the realization that we won’t be coming back is starting to kick in. The people you walked around with or played a sport with for the last 4 years will be gone and life will smack you in the face if you don’t prepare yourself.