Recent Inglemoor alumni are working hard to pursue their dreams, living all over the country. As they chase new experiences, they’ve given intriguing stories and advice for current high schoolers.
Class of ‘24 grad Leah Yoon (she/her) is just beginning her college journey as a freshman at Williams College in Massachusetts. For her orientation, Yoon said she backpacked on the Appalachian Trail, without her phone for four days and was roomed with random people. Immediately transitioning from this experience to classes, the extreme college workload kept her busy.
“Once you start classes, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so much work,’” Yoon said. “In college, you have to read so much. I got assigned 300 pages every three days plus a movie to watch, plus I have to do all my extracurriculars. But it’s definitely more like you’re doing stuff that you really want to do and like.”
Yoon said the skills she developed from the IB program prepared her to manage the rigorous coursework.
“IB definitely helps because I did full IB, and it literally teaches you how to read efficiently, how to write essays, how to do experiments,” Yoon said.
Class of ‘22 Esha Thakur (she/her) is studying computer science at the University of California San Diego. She said that she misses the lack of major responsibilities and barely having large workloads, describing the jump to college as significant. But after settling in, she said that college has taught her a lot about adulthood.
“I’ve learned more about independence; no one holds you accountable in college. It’s so easy to slip through the cracks, and while your GPA doesn’t matter as much, you also have to hold yourself to a standard and have the motivation to stick with it and work hard to reach your goals,” Thakur said.
College is also a chance for young adults to pursue their passions. Class of ‘23 Nicole Chambliss (she /her) said that the freedom to build her own schedule has allowed her to dive deeper into her interests. Chambliss studied civil engineering at Cal Poly, and wanted to be a structural engineer for a while.
“I would love to be able to one day drive by a building or structure and be able to say ‘I helped make that happen,’” Chambliss said.
Going to college doesn’t always mean moving away from home. Class of ‘22 Ari Cherny (he/him) chose to live at home, commuting to his classes at the University of Washington.
“I never actually got the official college experience where you’re living in dorms and doing it that way,” Cherny said. “I’ve seen people that do that. Some have a great time meeting a lot of people, and others feel isolated and end up coming home. So it’s really just different for everyone.”
Also attending the University of Washington, class of ‘22 Ava Falck (she/her), chose to live on campus. She said that she enjoys the experience and that it was
easy for her to make friends when first starting because everyone was friendly.
“It’s literally like you’re starting kindergarten again. It’s actually a crazy reset. You basically start over with no friends, but it’s good, because everybody starts over like that. So, you’re definitely nervous going in, but then you remember, okay, everybody else is nervous too,” Falck said.
Similarly, class of ‘22 Kyra Ramirez (she/her) found it easy to make friends when first starting at Cal Poly, describing her campus environment as lively with very social people. Although she was nervous at first, she advises others to go outside of their comfort zones.
“If you’re in your dorm room all day, you’re not going to meet anybody besides your roommate. So I would say just kind of put yourself out there,” Ramirez said.
Growth brings young adults closer to the reality of the world. Thakur said that the first year of college consists of lots of change.
“I really learned the value of reflecting, it took me a second to really process my first year of college while I was already in my second year. There’s so much change and growth that happens during your first year. It’s a huge leap that gets you closer to the ‘real world,’” Thakur said.
Unexpected plans can happen for the better. Falck said that she expected to move somewhere away from home than UW, but studying aerospace engineering led her to choose UW because of the better program and resources they offer for her major. This year she is living in a house with seven other people, and she said that she’s happy with her choice as it turned out to be everything she was looking for.
“I feel like it’s kind of just like the movie college experience, at a big state school like this. I just get all the things that come with college, which I wanted,” Falck said.
Even if plans change, Thakur said that planning is an important skill. She advised high schoolers to research colleges and said that college is all about looking ahead.
“Always have a rough five-year plan. This may sound intimidating but it’s essentially just setting up goals for yourself,” Thakur said. “These are things you have to think about now, and you want to set yourself up for success.”
Often, college demands stronger time management skills and discipline. Cherny said that these are important skills in setting students up for their future.
“Sometimes we need to put school first before going out with friends or doing other activities like that,” Cherny said. “College is the last barrier between you and the real world, so it’s important to take that part seriously since we’re going to carry that into the future.”
For current high school seniors, Ramirez advised them to savor their last year as it goes by rapidly. Class of ‘24 Kaylee Ross (she/her) is studying interior design at Bellevue College, and she said to enjoy the high school moments by making memories.
“Go out and be adventurous, have spontaneous trips over the summer with your friends, and just do the most with your friends over the summer, because you’ll want to have the best memories before you all leave for college,” Ross said.
The last moments of high school can be fun, but scary. Cherny expressed the importance of growing up.
“As you grow older, you kind of realize that you don’t have all the time in the world,” Cherny said. “Even though you want to stay a kid as long as you can, it’s important to understand that life moves forward and you have to be able to take action for your own life, because no one’s gonna do it for you.”
