After four years of memories, merriment, and bonding, Mater Dei’s Class of 2025 is set to graduate on May 31, 2025. This year, over 500 seniors will embark on their individual journeys. Many paths lie ahead, whether that may be in university, the workforce, or another calling. With their time in high school coming to a close, and as peers go their separate ways, seniors have begun to reflect on their experiences at Mater Dei.

Many seniors are looking forward to graduation, as it represents the next big step in their lives. Senior Sophia Tordera anticipates a new perspective upon entering the world outside of high school. 

“I’m feeling really good about [graduation],” Tordera said. “I’m honestly really glad to be going to a new environment.”

High school is an important formative experience, one that offers teenagers the chance to develop their own personalities, and grow as an individual. Tordera attests to being able to escape her comfort zone, and discover new interests in the last four years. 

“I feel like my greatest accomplishment was getting out of my shell and being friends with people who I’ve never known before,” Tordera said. “[I also tried] out a lot of different things, especially in the arts.”

With the extracurriculars that Mater Dei provides, students are given the opportunity to explore many different hobbies, even if they don’t plan on pursuing them as a career. Tordera notes this phenomenon when discussing her interest in theatre. 

“[During high school] I developed an interest in theatre, [and while] it’s not what I want to do forever, it was definitely something new and something that I really enjoy doing,” Tordera said. “I learned that I enjoy performing a lot in front of others.” 

Seniors have also found that high school has further developed their interests in learning, as it provided them with a more in-depth understanding of certain subjects. Senior Alana Le shares how her enjoyment of history expanded during her time in high school.

“I wouldn’t call this a new interest per se, but I definitely love history a lot more than I did before high school,” Le said. “I always liked history, but in elementary school I felt like the scope of history that we were taught was too narrow. The classes I‘ve taken here have encouraged me to continue to learn about the world around me and stay curious about our past.”

Of course, high school comes with challenges, whether that be in academics, or through after-school activities. Le shares that her experience in the Chambers choir was arduous, yet highly rewarding and memorable. 

“I think one of the most difficult things [about senior years was] being a part of the Chambers [choir],” Le said. “Of course, I would also say that it is one of my favorite things that I’ve done because of the challenges. I think everyone else in Chambers will agree that it took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to learn all of the music that we did this year. But the countless hours we spent working, even staying until 9 or 10 on some school nights, was worth it.  My experience in this group will be something that I remember thirty years from now.” 

The high school experience also encourages students to discover what path they want to take in life. Senior Roman Manner found his passion and future major through projects that involved public speaking in his classes. 

“I discovered my passion [for] communication and public speaking because of all the presentations I did in different classes,” Manner said. “They felt scary, but it was also kind of fun too.”

The future beyond Mater Dei may sound daunting, with talks of college and career planning beginning as early as freshman or sophomore year. Manner believes that the college application process was the most difficult challenge he faced in high school. 

“The hardest challenge I faced was college applications, especially the essays,” Manner said. “I was expected to write in a way that showed my accomplishments while also showing my personality in a humble way.” 

As a result, seniors like Le recommend that students start on college applications as soon as possible, in order to prevent stress further down the line. She believes that by doing so, seniors can relax and enjoy their last year at Mater Dei even more. 

“Start working on your college applications right away if those are your post-high school plans,” Le said. “There are so many things on your plate already like academics, extracurriculars, athletics, work, and so much more, that adding college on top of that can be overwhelming. Plus, I think it gives you more time to live in the moment and really enjoy senior year.”

Whether you have already planned out your future, or are still deciding what you want to do, it is important to make the most of your high school years while you still have them. Staying true to yourself, learning from mistakes, and growing and maturing as a person are all perks of the experience. Manner is confident that by being yourself, you will have a successful and enjoyable time in high school.  

“It’s the last year, and you [may not] see [some of] these people again, so just having fun and not being scared of what people think will lead to a great senior year,” Manner said.