Now at the tail end of senior year, a look back on the past nine months seems not only possible but necessary. We interviewed a few Tualatin High School (TuHS) seniors to get their thoughts on the past school year, asking what was best, worst and what they were looking forward to.
“I think probably the worst part of this year has been the realization I keep making that I probably could have been more involved, and I might not have taken advantage of all the extracurriculars and activities that I would’ve liked to,” TuHS senior Nate McDougal explained. “I’ve stayed pretty isolated in work, the friend group and hobbies, so I feel like I never branched out as much as I could.”
However, for McDougal, the year has not only been about regrets.
“The best thing undoubtedly has been the time,” he said. “This year I’ve been able to do so much since I have school every other day. I’ve gotten into lifting, rock climbing, been growing my side gigs and so much more. I couldn’t do that if the school wasn’t flexible with schedules, which I’m super grateful for. Also, this year has been so great because I get to see all my friends get ready for the future and what they’re all doing next year.”
Finally, McDougal told us what he looked forward to next year.
“I can’t wait to have more independence; having my own place will be nice. I’m looking
at some apartments right now, and there’s a lot of good options. Also, I’m looking forward to everyone else’s first year out of high school, just seeing where they land, how they like their different paths etcetera, you know.”
Fellow Tualatin senior Zeyad Eisawy also gave his thoughts.
“The best thing was making more memories with all my friends,” Eisawy said. “I’m really happy to have had this year to look back on. It was fun. The worst thing was the entire college process and all the applications and loops I had to jump through. That was like a never-ending struggle. I’m so happy that it’s all over.”
Eisawy is also looking forward to the next phase after high school.
“I’m really looking forward to this summer and traveling to do all the different things I have planned,” he said. “It should be a really great summer. I can’t wait.”
Like most previous senior years, this one seems to have gone by overly fast. Now, in the final days, it’s good to look back and reflect on the time we’ve all spent in this place.
