by Augustus Rodriguez, Lampoon Editor

As the second semester rolls on, many seniors start to feel the weight that comes with moving on to the next part of their lives and leaving St. John Bosco High School behind.

Many seniors of St. John Bosco are starting to realize that their graduation is a lot closer than ever before. This makes them a bit worried about what lies ahead of them in the future. For a lot of seniors, their next stop is towards college.

Most of the seniors will have to say goodbye to their friends at Bosco and, in some cases, even their parents as they go and explore this new part of their lives. This feeling of moving to their next step in life in only a couple of months makes students feel a bit of anxiety and unsure that they are ready.

“I made so many memories and friends here at Bosco and I have to say goodbye to that in a couple of months,” said senior Elijah Sanchez. “I know saying goodbye is hard, but knowing that I only have a few months until I graduate hits me hard.”

To some seniors, St. John Bosco not only gave these boys a feeling of belonging, but it helped them mature into men ready for anything. 

“I was a bit shy back then when I first came into [St. John Bosco] and I felt like it would be hard to fit in,” said senior Jose Cruz. “Once I found my footing in the marching band, I saw how connected the community is.”

The added pressure many seniors experience has affected them emotionally and mentally.

“Moving on to my next stage of life has been very hard on me, as I have been doing my best to keep all my good grades at the expense of my sleep schedule,” said senior Iveangiel Ysita. “The Bosco brotherhood is real, and it shows how much I will miss my friends when I go to college and have less time to hang out with them.”

Some seniors feel like time is moving too fast for them and they feel rushed into being adults.

“I feel like I am rushed into being an adult, which is why I am trying to hold on to my final years of being a kid before I have to deal with the responsibilities of the real world,” said senior Kevin Rodriguez. 

Some seniors are glad to move into their new chapter of life, but still feel like they are being rushed. The seniors feel like they can’t enjoy the present because of the pressure to look into the future.

“I feel a bit overwhelmed about it, just knowing [that] I’m going into a new chapter of my life and reflecting on how fast time has gone and mentally preparing myself for college,” said senior Nelson Macedonio. 

Seniors like Nelson feel ready to go into college, and despite wanting to still want to hold onto their childhood, they know that their family, friends and God will be by their side during this new part of their life.

Even with all these pressures of facing adult life in only a few months, some seniors feel ready and eager to go to college.

“I feel like these last two years of high school have changed me into being more mature,” said senior Noah Jeffery Wayner. “I feel eager and ready for the responsibilities of being an adult.”

Seniors realize they will face the reality that their time here at Bosco is coming to an end. With this sudden realization, certain seniors reflect on what they accomplished during their four years at Bosco. They realize the good times of being at high school and having fun with their friends will come to an end.

“When I was an incoming freshman, I thought high school was going to be the toughest years of my life,” said senior Evan Urbina. “Bosco and its brotherhood, with not only my classmates but my teachers, certainly made my high school experience a bit easier.”

There have been struggles that seniors have also looked back on to see how they improved. Something like struggling with organizational skills when they were a sophomore to now being able to organize efficiently now that they are a senior. Many seniors have also been able to build lasting bonds with their fellow seniors, underclassmen and even teachers.

The seniors themselves didn’t believe that this Bosco brotherhood would be so strong back then, and it helped them form lifelong friendships without even knowing it. For some seniors, Bosco changed them for the better and helped them get closer to God.

“I transferred into Bosco my junior year, coming from a public school. Bosco really changed me for the better,” said Nelson Macedonio. “In a positive way, it brought me closer to God and shaped me into being a better person overall.”

Even with all of this excitement there is some lingering anxiety that comes with graduation. This somewhat causes a domino effect into a student underperforming in their classes because of the stress and pressure of graduating.

Senioritis is pretty common for students, as they feel like their quarter two senior grades don’t matter to colleges. For certain seniors, they will be the first generation to graduate high school and make it to college, which adds on the pressure for them.

Despite all of the fear and anxiety that comes from moving from high school to their college, loads of seniors cannot wait to walk across the stage and accept their well-earned diploma.