Looking ahead: Seniors make plans for the future

By Anh Dao

As the seniors approach the last year of high school life, they have to make plans for their future. Many of them decide to continue learning in colleges and universities, with students choosing diverse majors and programs.

Community colleges are always a practical choice for seniors and Houston Community College is one of the best community colleges in the state. Many seniors shared goals to attend HCC after high school to continue their dream. Although they aim to go to the same school, most of the seniors have different pursuits planned at HCC. Some want to try to figure out what career they should follow in the future by being involved in more occupations related activities and courses in the community colleges.

“I want to go to community college and try to figure out my major,” senior Roland Gramajo said. “Probably if I enjoy it I’ll go with it, if not then I think I’ll drop out and go straight to work. I’d prefer this choice because community college is not as expensive. Since I don’t know what I really want to do yet, I don’t want to waste money on a 4-year university while I can spend a lot less at community college.”

Others already have a specific plan of what major to take or what they are most likely to do even after HCC.

“I’m planning on going to HCC to study dental hygiene after high school,” senior Yadira Lopez said. “If the career that I’m going through goes successfully with me, then obviously I will try to transfer to another university. So it might take two or three more years after HCC. First of all, it’s because I was signed to the dental system by my counselor. The other reason is my dentist. I have known him since I was four or five, and I still talk to him about my career in the future now. He explains about the money he makes, and he’s happy how it works out. So now it’s my passion.” Besides community colleges, universities are also one of the top choices for the seniors. As universities have more opportunities, certificates and networks to follow a specific career path, attending these schools will have a lot of advantages for seniors.

“I want to attend Texas A&M to study Forensic Science,” senior Allison Hernandez said. “It’s like when you get out of school with a forensic degree, you can go to the FBI or police, and then you will investigate crime scenes, homicide, and you will collect evidence as well. I want to do this though it’s

kinda dangerous since I want to help people to solve their family issues, because there are cases like in the movies, the family of the victims just don’t know what to do and where to go.”

However, there are seniors that have a dream job but who have not yet decided which route to take in order to activate their dreams.

“My plan is to go to college to study veterinary terminology because I love animals,” senior Joshua Phillips said. “But I haven’t decided on a school yet. I’m trying to do that right now.” There are seniors who have someone really special to depend on.

“Although I made this decision on my own, I know that my best friend will support me,” Gramajo said. “She’s studying in another district right now, but she has always been there for me in my darkest times.”

“The one who inspires me the most is my dentist, and he will obviously be the one who supports me the most with this career path,” Lopez said. “What’s more is that my sister will also encourage me a lot. Since she is the oldest child in my family, but she still hasn’t attended college yet, that drives me to become the first generation of my family to go to college. My sister will be happy with that.”

The others were affected a lot by their parents:

“Since my dad was a part of the forensic team, he used to follow crimes and investigate corruption,” Hernandez said. “I watched him and admired him, so now I want to do that too. Moreover, I think that my parents will support me the most with my decision. There is no reason for that. Because they are my parents, so they will get my back no matter what.”

To prepare for a long future ahead, starting with their plans after high school, the seniors will definitely have to set up goals to finish in order to achieve their plans. The majority of seniors know that FAFSA, TASFA or scholarships are what they are supposed to do if they want to attend colleges, and most of them are ready to apply for these grants. Besides financial aid, GPA is one of the most important requirements that they have to meet to be able to attend colleges. Acknowledging this, a lot of the seniors are doing their best at catching up with school and keeping a good GPA. Finally, setting a strong mindset is also a key to success that the students are following. As long as they have a strong determination with the choice that they make, they are more likely than ever to be successful with their dreams.