By Madi Andrada
With the weather getting warmer, many students are excited to get to summer break. However for the seniors, their final high school year is coming to an end. Many seniors at BHS are going different ways. This is bringing up much conversation with everyone asking the big question, what are your plans for after high school?
ASB President Alexis Fa’aita (12) asking what she’s doing after high school and where she sees herself in five years. Fa’aita stated, “After high school I plan to go to San Jose State. I’m majoring there in pre-nursing and will eventually pursue my BSN there.” Regarding social life there she plans on rushing and joining an Asian sorority in the fall. She also hopes to try out for their club volleyball team and join their Polynesian club.
ASB Sports Ambassador Joseph Nelson (12) what he’s going to do after high school he said, “I’m going to DVC to major in business, but it’s kind of undecided and we’ll see how it goes.” When I asked him where he sees himself in five years Nelson says, “I do see myself working in a trade.”
Senior Dance Officer Olivia Zmak says, “After high school I’m planning on going to UC Irvine to major in Dance,” regarding where she sees herself in five years she says, “In five years I hope to graduate from Irvine and dance in a ballet company for my career.”
With all of these seniors graduating and going their different ways, we often forget other past seniors on the campus, our teachers! I interviewed many teachers asking them what their original plans after high school were, and how they knew they wanted to teach.
AP U.S. Government teacher, Mr. Higginbotham said that he really enjoyed his government class at BHS so he chose to major in Political Science. Higgs also stated, “I was very passionate about basketball and I had a strong desire to become a teacher and a coach. That said, I also considered a law degree and a career in journalism. During college, I worked as a coach at several basketball camps and I coached varsity summer league (similar to today’s AAU teams). In addition, I was the sports editor for an on-campus magazine at UC Davis called The Slate. In the end, I chose teaching and I feel it was the right choice for me.”
Band Director, Mrs Crismond-Hanna, said, “I have wanted to be a music teacher since 4th grade, however I always thought I would be an elementary music teacher. Before that, I wanted to be a surgeon or a racecar driver. My plan was to attend Humboldt State as a Music Ed major but when I showed up for Freshman orientation I realized that there were too many giant spiders on campus and that the nearest Target was 45 minutes away. I left orientation halfway through and stopped by Sonoma State on the way home. I fell in love with that campus and immediately changed my plan to go there. While in college I found out that I absolutely loved conducting and being in front of a band. That is when I realized that I was more suited as a middle or high school band director.”
English and French teacher, Ms. Thompson said, “… I was a dance and theatre kid in high school. After high school I was “Broadway Bound” — I went to a theatre school in NYC that was right on Broadway: The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). After graduating (it was a 2 year conservatory program) I did some dance and theatre, but after a few years I decided to go back to school and finish my undergraduate degree which I did at the New School. (Then it was called The New School for Social Research). I always liked learning new things, and I liked teaching dance or breaking things down for people. One day, one of my roommates suggested that I should go back to school to become a teacher — and that idea just clicked with me. So I did. I got a Masters in English Education from Columbia University, Teachers College. As you can see, my plans changed multiple times. I went from training to be a classical ballet dancer, to a musical theatre performer, to becoming a teacher.”
In addition to this, I also asked if the teachers had any parting advice for the class of 2026. Higgs said, “Normally, I would mention the importance of hard work and self belief. They are of great importance. But so is surrounding yourself with good people.”
Crismond says, “Don’t plan your future based on what other people think you should become. Find something that you are passionate about and pursue it to the fullest. You will spend most of your life working so pick something that gives you purpose and happiness. You only have one life to live so enjoy every moment of it!”
Finally, Thompson says, “…I would tell the graduating class of 2026 to be adaptable. It sounds cliché, but things change — and the world is changing rapidly. The best thing you can do is to develop skills that can adapt to different markets and different job opportunities. That, and develop a positive attitude toward change, because it is inevitable.”
With all this good information make sure to take it to heart. Good luck seniors with going into your next chapter of life!
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