It’s the end of the 2021-2022 school year. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are preparing for their next grade level. (Un)fortunately for seniors, their high school years are coming to an end and they are venturing into the real world. These seniors had a four-year high school experience and they have something to tell.

Cesar Arredondo is an athletic senior who ran Cross Country and Track for three years and had an interesting high school career.

“The highlight of my senior year is going to the fair with my friends and having fun. We went to see a Bruno Mars Tribute. Me and my friends love Bruno Mars. We sang, danced, and joked around. It was a night to remember,”  said Arredondo.

Arredondo had some really challenging obstacles during his senior year and a lot of responsibility.

“The most challenging thing for being a senior is managing your time. Managing your time with sports, friends, school, activities, and your personal life. If you don’t manage time, you will get stacks and piles of stress. I personally have struggled with this because I’m a student athlete and I have to focus on my classwork and my practices and games everyday,” said Arredondo.

After he graduates, he will go out and serve our country by joining the Navy Hospital Corpsman this summer.

“I chose this position because if I decide to get out, I can go into the medical field. If not, then I could just stay there and provide for the country,” said Arredondo.

When he joins, he will never forget the memories of high school and cherish every moment before he leaves Cardinal City.

“The best memory of high school is the homecoming football games. Those were the loudest and most exciting games ever, especially with friends to make it more fun and enjoy the moment. It was memorable because our Varsity Football team was doing good this year and a lot of supporters came, like students from our school, alumni, cheerleaders, and band. I felt the Cardinal spirit was in the atmosphere during the game,” said Arredondo.

“The most memorable moment of my senior year was Prom. Prom was more exciting than I thought it was. I went in a limo with my friends. Prom was hosted at a resort in Huntington Beach. All the seniors had a blast and it was my last dance with them before I leave,” said Arredondo.  

Jasmine Garzon Bolanos is a student who worked during her senior year so she could spend her money on anything that she needs or she wants.

“I have a job now so I can pay for my stuff now. Like I don’t have to be asking for money. If I want to go out and eat, I can do that,” said Bolanos.

Bolanos had some challenges during her senior year but she balanced everything out and started learning and preparing to be a young adult.

“The worst part of being a senior is just the fact that I’m going to be an adult in less than a month. But I managed to balance everything from school, sports, work, and my personal life by mapping out what’s important for my future, mandatory for graduation, then I focused on my athletics like soccer and volleyball,”said Bolanos.

After graduating high school, she plans to go to Cal State San Bernardino to major in Psychology.

“I plan to go there to major in that topic because I want to learn other people’s mind and behavior so I can give them a solution to their behaviors. I’m still deciding,” said Bolanos. “After I graduate college, I want to connect with a recruiter for the FBI because I love solving criminal crime scenes.” 

Bolanos isn’t excited to go out into the real world, but she will never forget about the memories with her friends this last year of her high school career. 

“One memory that I will never forget in my high school career is the amount of time I hung out with my friends during lunch, ate with each other, and just had great conversations with each other,” said Bolanos.  

Before these seniors leave high school and start their new journey of the real world, they want to leave some advice for the upcoming seniors.

“Stay focused on your activities and have fun. Enjoy your last year in high school because adulthood is very scary,” said Bolanos.

“Work over the summer before you become a senior and have money. Also get a good and genuine group of friends that will let you have fun but not get in trouble. Just enjoy the whole time with them. You will have fun,” said Arredondo.