Senior Jessica Zhou poses with her friends on a beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo courtesy of Jessica Zhou | Used with permission.
Jessica Zhou
Senior Jessica Zhou describes a night on her senior trip this past spring break as “unreal.” After a long day of adventure in Hawaii, Zhou and her friends closed the day on a beach where she says they had one of the most memorable parts of the trip.
“We were just blasting music, singing along loudly and skipping around, while watching the waves at night,” Zhou said. “It was really fun — I felt kind of like an adult. I felt like I didn’t have to worry about how I was perceived.”
Zhou and her friends began planning their trip to Oahu, Hawaii, earlier this year. In addition to staying at a hotel, Zhou’s group decided to spend a few nights at the Aulani Disney resort, where the group enjoyed the lazy river, water park and Disney-themed atmosphere. Zhou says that the group decided to schedule the trip during the school semester out of an eagerness to go, but believes coming back to school was difficult because of the return to normalcy.
“When we were on the trip, it felt very carefree,” Zhou said. “It really did just feel like we could have been college friends having a reunion. Going back to MVHS, it felt like a little bit of a culture shock because you’ll have this freedom, and then it’s just taken away. I feel like it was kind of liberating to be away from the Monta Vista lifestyle and going to school and having responsibilities. It was just very carefree and fun.”
Gerad Lee
When senior Gerad Lee and his friends began planning their senior trip, they initially planned to stay within the United States for ease of travel but ultimately decided to seize the opportunity to travel internationally. The group chose to travel to Tokyo, Japan, for its safe environment and interesting landscapes.
“It’s one of those experiences where you’re not with your parents and you’re with your friends,” Lee said. “I think because it was our second semester of senior year, our parents said, ‘Go try new things, because in the future you’re going to have to travel and go with your friends too.’ So I feel like it’s a really unique experience.”
Although Lee and his friends only started planning the trip two weeks before and it was his first time traveling without his parents, he says he wasn’t too worried because his friends are good at planning and he knew they would take care of each other. Not only does he emphasize the high quality and affordable prices of Tokyo’s restaurants and stores, but he says he also enjoyed the time his group set aside to freely explore the city, rather than plan specific activities.
Since they were only able to spend five days in Tokyo due to traveling during the February break, Lee wishes they had planned the trip for summer break instead, so they could have had an extra week to travel to cities other than Tokyo. From trying new foods, like authentic Japanese sushi, to facing his fear of heights by going to the top of Shibuya Sky, Lee says the trip left a significant impact.
“The trip was really, really fun, and it definitely went over my expectations,” Lee said. “I thought traveling outside the country would be a good experience, especially with your friends. But it was just so much more than that, and it’s gonna stick with me for a long time.”
Keya Chakravarty
By the end of her junior year, senior Keya Chakravarty and a group of her friends knew they wanted to go on a senior trip together. However, deciding exactly where they wanted to go took more planning and thought. Chakravarty says they considered a wide variety of locations, including cities in Europe and Southern California. The trip, scheduled to take place immediately after graduation, was ultimately planned for Honolulu, Hawaii, as it was one location the six of them agreed on and their parents approved of them going by themselves.
“I’m a bit nervous, but also really excited,” Chakravarty said. “It’s our first time by ourselves without any adults. But the excitement outweighs the nervousness of it all.”
Chakravarty says her friend group has been preparing by compiling a list of activities they want to do, including paragliding and snorkeling, which Chakravarty describes as “iconic” to do in Hawaii. Ultimately, however, she says spending the last few moments of high school with her friends is the main intention of the trip.
“We’ve been friends for a long time, for most of high school,” Chakravarty said. “So we decided that we wanted to get everybody we could from our friend group to come. I’m just looking forward to spending time with my friends, honestly, and being with them one more time before we all go our separate ways for university.”