Former SHS students share advice on better high school experience
Movies like “The Breakfast Club,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Pretty in Pink” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” all take place in high school. Within each movie, the audience gets to watch the characters mature, grow and experience valuable lessons teenagers learn throughout high school.
But real life does not always feel like a movie.
Some former students from Southwest High school gave advice to current students about what to do in order to improve their high school experience in 2022.
“I will say that I had moments that I did enjoy,” said Eva Hernandez, a 2019 Southwest graduate. “When I was part of the Latin Dance Club, I knew the members outside of the club because we had classes together, and our bond was so strong that being in the club felt like having a big family.”
She said that the best way for the students to improve their high school experience is to step out of their comfort zone and take classes that interest them and also help them when they go to college if they plan on doing so.
“I would suggest breaking out of the bubble and becoming determined because you will be the individual who will make the changes,” said Hernandez.
Similarly, Salma Rojas, another 2019 graduate, said that she was able to discover a part of herself she didn’t know by stepping out of her comfort zone and taking the class she was afraid of in the beginning.
“What made my high school experience better was probably around my sophomore year of high school when I first took band class and then decided to take it again when I was a junior, that’s where I found out that I liked music,” said Rojas. “My senior year came around and I actually got into band at SHS. I think it made my last year of high school more fun and helped me finish the year off good and happy.”
Hernandez is currently studying at Grand Canyon University majoring in business management, and she said that if she could go back to SHS she would’ve taken more advanced classes.
“I have the capability of challenging myself more,” she explained.
When it comes to his social life in high school, 2019 grad Mariano Peinado said that he had a memorable experience due to the people he surrounded himself with. He said students should find people who will help them through the ups and downs together.
“I would say that in order to have a good experience, you have to make new friends and try to hang out with the people that are really interested in you,” said Peinado.
Hernandez said she wanted students to know that high school is not all about grades or attending every football game; it’s about finding parts of oneself within those four years that help shape who the person becomes and what they want in life.
“The school- hosted events or passing classes do not reveal your true colors,” said Hernandez. “The way it can be identified is that determination, ambition, motivation, or a reason to find a purpose is what moves a person’s heart and how they will achieve their goals, not by a grade.”