Senior Samuel Yao is preparing for a unique experience following his graduation from MVHS: he plans to attend Northeastern University’s London campus for a year with students who are studying computer science and business before attending the Boston campus. 

For Yao, adapting to new environments is a skill he has developed by involving himself in different activities and clubs, such as DECA. Yao says that this skill was one of the main reasons why he made the decision to commit to Northeastern. Yao, as he is excited at the prospect of both visiting various parts of Europe in addition to the Northeastern campus, and also meeting a diverse range of people. In addition, Yao also feels uncertainity in how the new environment will treat him.

“I’m a little worried for this upcoming year because not only is it my first year in college, which is a completely new environment from high school, but also because I’ve never been to Europe before, so I’ll be experiencing a new type of culture,” Yao said. “I’m definitely stepping out of my comfort zone and doing things that I feel like I wouldn’t have done if I wasn’t given this opportunity.”

Senior Jewell Ralston aspires to get her driver’s license soon, a process that she has found complicated. Last month, although she didn’t pass her first driver’s test, her permit expired before she could try again, and she now has to redo the process to renew her license. 

She is currently trying to find a time to get her permit in the midst of her busy schedule, which contains softball practice and her part-time job as a cashier at Chicken Meets Rice. Ralston says that when she gets her license, she can get her own car,  and she would prefer to drive herself rather than having her parents drive her.  

Primarily, her focus on driving is motivated by her need to drive to her job, where she will soon transition to working full-time after she graduates from MVHS. She also desires to drive both her friends and family around when needed to offer a helping hand, part of her process of taking on more responsibilities. 

“I feel like it’s a necessity,” Ralston said. “For most people, it’s a first step to independence, because getting your license is something you can do before you’re 18. Most people need this skill — it’s just critical.”

As a part-time worker at Happy Lemon, senior Grace Wang makes around $300 every two weeks. However, she ends up spending most of this between paychecks on various items: food, drinks, clothes, makeup, skincare items and food for her cats. In the future, especially during college when she has more independence, Wang hopes to reduce her spending in order to have enough money for other, more important purposes.

“I have a steady source of income right now, and I don’t necessarily need to worry about saving money or anything like that,” Wang said. “I know I’m going to get more money coming in as I work every two weeks, but as I go into college, I don’t know if I want to get a job during the first semester, so I definitely will need to be tracking my expenses and making sure that I’m spending thoughtfully.” 

Wang plans to be more mindful of her spending by choosing cheaper options when possible in order to practice her saving habits. Despite that, for now, she allows herself to spend her money without much reservation as she sees her earnings as “fun money” which can be spent on more impuslive purchases.

“I feel like as I move into adulthood, I can’t be running out of money in between paychecks and I need to be saving for the future,” Wang said. “I need to be saving for houses and worrying about my bills — things I don’t have to worry about right now.”

As she moves on to college, senior Swetha Vimalkumar finds it is more important than ever to build time management skills without having her parents to hold her accountable. Vimalkumar says that  her throughout her high school journey, she has found it challenging to manage her time. Additionally, she notes that she has been less motivated to set goals to remedy this issue  due to senioritis, and looks forward to be more proactive in college.

A solution she found was keeping her room organized, which she says is the key to maintaining her productivity. She also plans to utilize Notion, a software that helps with keeping track of tasks through to-do lists and scheduling. According to Notion’s website, Notion “provides a single space where you can think, write and plan” and even engage in collaboration with others.

“I have Notion, but I don’t think I use it much — I think I would start using that to plan out what I want to do with each section of my day,” Vimalkumar said. “I’m dividing my day based on my work and my priorities. And then after that, I can have some free time so I don’t get burnt out.”

Ultimately, Vimalkumar acknowledges that this skill will be a crucial one amid the changes she faces in college, accompanying the newfound independence and greater responsibilities. She believes that these changes are inevitable and universal for all incoming college freshmen. 

“You’ll be living far away from home,” Vimalkumar said. “You don’t have your parents and will have to learn to adapt to a new lifestyle. Some people are switching states halfway across the U.S., so I feel like they’ll have to adapt quickly.”