By Marcus McDermott |

Four years. That is how long we get to learn and grow at this wonderful school of ours. A lot can change in four years, and my goal was to talk to seniors about the changes in their lives since freshman year, whether it be academic or social.

First I talked to Aj Rai, an actively involved senior at our school. He told me that the biggest change from his freshman year was his self esteem. In the words of Aj, “My self esteem went up when I was given the opportunity to become a leader.” Aj is currently the leader of Morgan React, Partners in Community, and has a position on the Board of Education.

I also talked to Erika Renkl and Sarah Dahlberg. At the start of their freshman year, they weren’t friends. Erika took mostly college prep classes and was a lot quieter. Since then, Erika has become a social butterfly. Her grades have improved and she now takes mostly honors classes. Sarah, on the other hand, told me that not much has changed academically. One big difference from her freshman year is in her athletics. Due to a torn ACL, Sarah has been benched for her whole senior year. Although it’s tough, Sarah has managed to remain positive and hopes to play sports in college.

Ciarra Vanderveen, Olivia Scobie, Nick Powers, Jake Mastrionni, Avery Hecimovich, and Rory Smith have also experienced some changes. I heard some different answers.  Avery said “Well I went to Xavier freshman year.” Rory Smith said, “I was quiet and shy and I had no friends.” When asked about how things are different now, she told me that she’s more social and has a lot more friends. Olivia mentioned that from freshman to senior year,”You find your small group of friends.” Nick and Jake have both grown beards, and Jake has become more involved in events at school. They all had different answers, but the overwhelming answer that I heard was, “You just care less.”

Finally I spoke to Liz Bradley. Liz had a lot to say about this topic! She said, “A lot has changed since freshman year till now, but I am very happy with where I am now. Freshman year I was quiet towards upper classmen and adults, and I was scared to voice my opinion. Now I have no problem telling anyone how I feel. I have my own opinions, standards, and morals. Also, I have a much more positive outlook on life..”

“…And I’m dating a girl for goodness sake… Anything can change!”