Over the next few weeks, we’ll be releasing the second Cascadia Daily News iteration of Senior Spotlight, which includes 22 interviews with graduating seniors from 11 Whatcom County high schools. As with last year, our goal is to provide a window into the diverse experiences of local high school seniors.
I spent a chunk of April and early May driving around to each school and sitting down with these students, nominated by their schools. With each student, I asked a series of baseline questions. What’s your favorite memory from high school? Is there a teacher or staff member who impacted your high school experience? I accompanied them with follow-up questions — more specifically about who they are and what they experienced as I learned more about what made them tick.
The answers to one question — What advice would you give your younger self? — stuck out to me for the unifying theme. Their answers focused on community and how it’s something that doesn’t simply happen. It is crafted through work and dedication, and bonded by shared values and interests.
It’s important to remember these students began their freshman year of high school during the fall of 2020 — when school was a box on a screen because of COVID-19.
In other words, these students knew isolation.
They returned the following spring to classrooms full of strangers. A lot can change in a year, especially when you’re 13, 14 or 15 years old and transitioning from middle to high school.
For some, the return to high school presented a blank slate. They had the opportunity to find community.
Their advice?
“Just do it,” said Lynden High School senior Diego Serrano while wearing a Nike “Just Do It” rubber bracelet.
Serrano started high school during the pandemic after moving from Venezuela. He only spoke Spanish. It’s evident that he, in fact, just “did it.” He joined the baseball team, which vastly improved his English fluency, and began to connect with his classmates. He then joined the football team, where he found his best friends. He eventually tried out for cheer, which became his passion. Serrano will cheer for the University of Washington Huskies this fall.
“You have to search for your place in life,” said Juliet Hunt, a Nooksack Valley High School graduate.
She arrived to in-person high school anxious and unsure. She found connection and community in Technology Club. Through esports (electronic sports) and video projects, she created some of her best memories in school.
Jackson van Pelt of Sehome High School advised his younger self to “believe in the good of other people,” encouraging himself to search for connection — something he struggled with as a middle schooler.
The more I heard, the more I realized their answers are not just advice to their younger selves — these are messages for anyone, including adults.
So take a moment to listen to the wisdom from Whatcom County’s youngest crop of adults: community does not simply happen. Join a club, trust others and push yourself beyond your comfort zone, because that’s where connection is made and memories are formed.
Find the schedule for high school (and college) graduations here. To learn about Whatcom County high school graduates, pick up a print copy of CDN’s Senior Spotlight tab on Friday, June 7, or visit our Senior Spotlight page where new profiles will be posted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until June 19.
Hailey Hoffman is a CDN visual journalist; reach her at haileyhoffman@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 103.
