As the year comes to an end, it is common for the graduating senior class to give their final words of advice to those following in their footsteps. The class of 2024 has listened to the advice of everyone before them and strived to live up to the examples of their predecessors. Now that the graduating seniors are in that position, it is the turn of the Class of 2024 to give their advice to those who will cross the stage in the next four years.
Please enjoy reading the final notes from the seniors on our Editorial Board to those who will follow in their footsteps!
Sophia Brady, Head of Journalism
There are many things that I wish I could have done throughout my high school experience, so if you are in high school or entering high school, here are some tips that I would like to share with you.
Throughout my education, I have always prioritized my academics no matter what it was. This is definitely a great attribute, but at times it can prove to be extremely demanding. I felt as though I would go to school so that I could wait for the next assignment, test, or project instead of appreciating the time I had at the high school. This made me miss quite a few important parts of school, and I really wish that I treated going to high school as more of an experience. If I could do it all over again, I would recommend always living in the moment.
High school is the time for new discoveries and creating new relationships. I will always attest to this because some of my most important relationships have formed from high school. Which is the reason that I will always be extremely grateful for all of the memories it has given me. High school is definitely something that can be extremely difficult, but when you look past that difficulty you see that it is such a great era of our lives because we are truly able to have fun and just be kids.
One last thing I would like to add is to become involved in as much as you can during your high school career. This will allow you to leave a lasting impact, and this aspect alone makes you feel very fulfilled. I am extremely grateful for my high school experience and all the great people I have met along the way.
Melissa Segovia-Hernandez, Head of Technology
My advice to you is to explore your community and have a million different experiences. When I started high school, I was scared of trying new things because it was during COVID-19. I was only trying to pass my classes and graduate, but after joining a club and having the best time, I realized how much fun it was to go out of my comfort zone and explore more things.
I was scared of change, but I couldn’t allow the fear to stop me from growing up and evolving into the person I am today and the person I will be in the future. It is better to be courageous, bold, and to make a difference to the world around you. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well.
Kat Woodruff-Carter, Head of Social Media
High school was a little crazy for me. I had to navigate friendships, dual enrollment, relationships, podcasts, my hobbies, and still care for myself. These are all things you might struggle with throughout high school, which is okay. My pieces of advice for you are first to find where you are productive. Are you productive at school? Are you productive at your home? If so, where in your home? I am most productive in Matt Barker’s room, so when I had free periods, I would sit in there and get all my work done for that week. Finding where you’re productive is helpful to minimize distractions and be successful academically.
Next is to find what you want to prioritize. This can change month to month and based on who is in your life at that moment or simply your lifestyle. For me this looks like God first, so Younglife, Youth Group, Church on Sundays. Then, Myself, which looks like feeding into my hobbies of my podcasts, coloring, reading self-books, and cheesy romance novels. Next is school for me—homework, projects, and whatever time I need to complete things for school. Then Family—hospital visits, coffee with Debra (my mom), cooking with my dad, baking treats for the family, and simply spending time with them. Then comes my friends, all the coffee dates, Barnes & Noble’s runs, Target hauls, and driving around aimlessly listening to Taylor Swift. All of this connects me to my friends and also relieves some stress. Then comes my partner. I am very lucky to have my partner and thankful for how patient he is. This looks like planning dates, grabbing him some flowers on the way to his house, and making time for him. Then, it’s everything else in my life that comes last. I have to run the little errands, the never-ending job searching, and the phone calls I need to make, but those can wait after a lunch date at 2.
My last piece of advice is that you will never regret being yourself. I am loud. I am emotional. I am a basic white girl. I have big dreams and aspirations. I am quick to anger. I am probably overconfident. However, all of these things make up who I am, and I do not want to change that. I will not let anyone change that. You will never regret being yourself. You won’t regret taking that fun-looking class. You won’t regret sharing that one niche hobby because it’ll help you find your best friend. You aren’t ever laughing too loudly or being too much. You are simply being yourself, and you should never regret that.
Sincerely, Kat Woodruff-Carter.
Brooklyn Lakey, Co-Editor-In-Chief
High school is described as a rewarding time in one’s life, filled with important life lessons and moments of growth, yet that isn’t always true. High school can be a time of extremely high highs, and desperately low lows that can knock you off your feet for a while, making you feel like it’s impossible to get back up. During these times of momentous growth and change, we are expected to remain strong in our work ethic and academics when, truthfully, it’s just hard to get out of bed. Everyone has experienced that before, whether that has to do with internal battles or external conflicts, especially during this time of extreme change. Juggling the pressure of success can be extremely challenging, whether it’s success in our relationships, personal, professional, or academic lives.
Success is something that we often measure through outside sources, comparing our own experiences with others to determine if we are successful. This leaves us in an endless cycle of feeling less than and doubting our own personal achievements, when in reality, who ever told us that we weren’t successful? Who ever told us that in order to be considered successful we needed to be at the same place others were? We each go through our lives at our own pace, reaching new milestones and achievements when we are personally supposed to. Truthfully, it doesn’t really matter what everyone is doing or when they are doing it; the only thing that matters is how confident you feel in your position in life. We should never feel like we can’t be proud of where we are in life because it doesn’t match up with where everyone around us is.
There have been moments in my life where I was so proud of accomplishments that I reached in my life, yet when I shared them, I was met with animosity, jealousy, and insecurity from those who should have supported me. Who you surround yourself with is a choice we all have to make, which is a lot easier said than done. Life is too short to fill it with people who make you feel like your successes are less than, or make you feel like you can’t share those or just be proud of yourself.
That is my biggest piece of advice, surround yourself with people who will build you up at every given moment and be proud of you in the same way you should be proud of yourself. Never let anyone tell you who you are or dictate who you will become. That’s completely up to you.<3
Bonnie Jo Taylor, Co-Editor-In-Chief
I have officially finished my years in high school and I am moving on to my college career, and during my four years at Davie High School, I learned a lot. Plenty was given to me in terms of academic instruction, but the most important learning I did related to people, and myself. There are some important things that I want to pass on, whether it be to the incoming freshman class or the rising seniors, because I feel they are worth sharing on my part.
Firstly, please keep in mind that the only thing in life that stays constant is the fact that things change. You will always face challenges, and the life you live will present you with things that you could have never prepared for. You will never be able to control what happens to you in its entirety, but you are always going to be able to control how you react to it. Life is always changing, and as long as you approach it openly and remember that there will be variations to your expectations, you will be able to handle it wonderfully. Nobody ever fully knows what they are doing, and you are not in the wrong for figuring things out as you go (this goes for college choices, career decisions, and choosing the path you want to take in life).
Secondly, on the topic of mistakes—everyone makes them, and I mean everyone. It is important that you remember that you are worth more than a single test grade, or a bad game or match, or a fight with a friend. When you fail academically, that means that you only have room to improve from there. When you do not reach a new PR, or you miss a goal, a hit, a serve, it just means that you get the chance to get better for the next time you try it. As far as people go, try to remember that we all have complicated lives. Each person has trials and challenges of their own to face, and sometimes the stress of handling all that can show up negatively, especially when it comes to their relationships with others. Keep in mind your own worth, and never let somebody treat you as worse than you are. On the flip side of that, remember to stand by those who share in your interests, support you, and care about you, and make sure to reciprocate what they give you in turn. Having friends in your life will help you through any hard time you have, and offering friendship and support in turn will give you a kind of gratification impossible to find anywhere else.
Finally, make sure that you don’t let anyone else turn you away from your passions and desires. If you want something out of the life you are living, it is your responsibility to go after it, and you have to choose to chase it. It is perfectly alright for your passions to change – it is NOT acceptable for someone to take them from you, or for them to be lost. Remember that your life is your own, and the choices you make belong to you, so have all your decisions be intentional and do your best to follow the dreams and goals you have set for yourself.
High school is a wonderful time of discovery and growth, and you will have many chances to indulge in many things as you experience them. There is wonderful potential in every student, and everyone reading this has the ability to achieve and succeed in their lives. Make sure to do what you enjoy and take care of yourself, and value your morals, beliefs, and those you hold dear to you. If you do that, you will enjoy not only your high school career, but everything beyond it as well.
The 2024 senior editors of the Weekly Talon Editorial Board thank you for taking the time to hear (or rather, read) their advice and wish everyone reading this the very best in their future!