Now that high school seniors are graduating, the class of 2022 is ready for college.
These graduates across metro Atlanta offer advice and stories about going to school during a pandemic. Note: In some cases, responses were edited for clarity or length.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Daniel Hermonstine
School system: Atlanta Public Schools
High school: D.M. Therrell High School
College: Georgetown University
Intended major: Public Policy/International Relations
Advice for ninth graders: Always be willing to go the extra mile. Never accept “no” until the reality sets in that something isn’t going to happen. Too often, as young scholars, opportunities are missed because of a lack of drive and a lack of confidence. I’d say to the class of 2025 to be bold and relentless in the opportunities they seek for themselves. I’d also tell them that regardless of what life throws at them over the next four years, they must always persevere. While this doesn’t mean that the grass will always be greener on the other side, they will be better individuals for it. The ability to persevere is one of the most essential traits in life and it must be developed from your freshman year.
One moment or story you will tell your grandchildren about your high school experience during the pandemic: Oh what a time it will be 40 years from now when I settle down to tell my grandkids about my “Six Screen” day. I’ll tell my grandbabies about their grandad’s work ethic and how he was always trying to be involved in everything. I have no doubt they’ll be proud, impressed, and disappointed. I expect the disappointment to settle in when they hear of how COVID’s “Six Screen Day” almost broke me. There is no reason for any human being to ever have to keep up with five screens at the same time. I’ll use this story to teach my grandkids about the importance of saying “no” and balancing one’s time. I’ll make sure they know that no amount of success is worth their happiness and mental health.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Meron Ayecheh
School system: DeKalb County Schools
High school: Clarkston High School
College: University of Georgia
Intended major: Biology/pre-med as my major and my pre-professional program would be pre-med.
Advice for ninth graders: A wise teacher once said to me, “Nothing lasts forever” right before she gave me a seven-page essay. In life, both the good and the bad will come to an end. We might not like the good to end but that’s just how life is. That goes without saying, your struggles and hardships will not last forever either! I assure you the outcomes will be worth your struggles.
One moment or story you will tell your grandchildren about your high school experience during the pandemic: The pandemic took away from my high school experience. However, it also taught me an important life lesson. Independence! It taught me to completely rely on myself and not on others! I’d say this beats anything else!
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Madison Cust
School district: DeKalb County Schools
High school: Arabia Mountain High School
College: Kennesaw State University
Intended major: Nursing
Advice for succeeding: Success is about how you approach it and what you make it. My dad always used to tell me, “Work hard now, and play later or play now, and work hard later.” I continue to live by that one statement because I know that later in life, I want everything to be as easy and smooth as possible.
One moment or story you will tell your grandchildren about your high school experience during the pandemic: The pandemic drastically changed my high school experience and honestly, I did not expect to do as well as I did virtually. Things were tougher because I am a hands-on learner and teachers were flooded with emails, so it was always tough to get into contact with them. I had to adjust my learning style to succeed in all my courses, but I am grateful because I learned a lot more about myself and learning style throughout the pandemic.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Alex Rice
School system: DeKalb County Schools
High school: Tucker High School
College: Georgia Tech
Intended major: Computer science
Advice for succeeding: Don’t be afraid to take a break. Nobody can work 24/7.
One moment or story you will tell your grandchildren about your high school experience during the pandemic: I will tell my grandchildren how random virtual classes could be with webcams. People would do all sorts of things. My favorite was when a friend of mine took a tomato and started eating it like an apple because they were hungry at one point when everyone had their webcams on.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Rahul Gudapati
School system: Fulton County Schools
High school: Alpharetta High School
College: Georgia Tech
Intended major: Business Administration, with a concentration in Strategy and Innovation
Advice for ninth graders: Explore as much as you can. You’ll never know what you love until you do it.
One moment or story you will tell your grandchildren about your high school experience during the pandemic: I’d tell my grandchildren about waking up and getting in the shower at 8:25 a.m. when class started at 8:20 a.m., and still being counted present.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Kyrisma Ragland
School system: Fulton County Schools
High school: Tri-Cities High School
College: Georgia State University
Intended major: Marketing
Advice for succeeding: Recently I’ve been told that success can only happen when self-reflection happens. It’s very easy to fall into the box of success that inhabits having a ridiculous amount of money and material items. It’s important to view your life from a perspective that doesn’t pertain to anyone else.
Advice for ninth graders: There are thousands of videos across the internet detailing a list of rules a freshman should follow. Most of them insist that you avoid being annoying, stay out of the way and generally be likable. I say be annoying. Your freshman year is the last year it’s normalized for you to be annoying. Being annoying is not a crime. You’ll eventually adapt to the life of a high schooler anyway so don’t stress yourself about being the perfect one before you get there.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Grant Baumann
School system: Gwinnett County Public Schools
High School: Mountain View High School
College: University of Georgia
Intended major: Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and Master’s in Business Administration
Advice for succeeding: Surround yourself with people who make you want to be better.
One moment or story you will tell your grandchildren about your high school experience during the pandemic: I can brag to my grandchildren that once a Zoom interviewer called me the next Elon Musk.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Yahya Habib
School system: Gwinnett County Public Schools
High school: Meadowcreek High School
College: Princeton University
Major: Political Science
What is the best advice you received about how to succeed? Spend every day getting 1% better at something.
What advice would you give to a ninth grader? Work hard but still make time to have fun.
One moment or story you will tell your grandchildren about your high school experience during the pandemic: I watched the “Harry Potter” and “Fast & Furious” series while in my digital classes.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Nicholas Lezama
School system: Gwinnett County Public Schools
High school: Gwinnett Online Campus
College: University of Georgia
Major: Journalism, Communications, or Psychology
Advice for succeeding: The best advice that I’ve received about success is that when you achieve something that you think is very difficult, there’s an intense feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes with it, so always try to give 100% of your effort in whatever you try to do.
One moment or story you will tell your grandchildren about your high school experience during the pandemic: Despite the overall conditions that were present during the pandemic, I was still able to maintain the high grades that I got, showing that this pandemic didn’t stop me on my way to earning this prestigious honor.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Julia Park
School system: Gwinnett County Public Schools
High school: North Gwinnett High School
College: Georgia Tech
Intended major: Computer Science
Advice for succeeding: Every master was once a beginner. Sure, some people are naturally talented, but talent only goes so far. Ambition and passion are what drive people to succeed. I am not naturally smart, but I worked hard to get here. Always focus on your goal and take small steps to get there.
One moment or story you will tell your grandchildren about your high school experience during the pandemic: Despite what many people say, I enjoyed learning from home. Being able to do work at my own pace helped with my time management and learning more about my own work ethic. A moment I enjoyed was that I would routinely have Zoom meetings with my friends, and it was a nice break from constantly being on Zoom for purely academic reasons.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
Elijah Rabinovich
School system: Gwinnett County Public Schools
High school: Paul Duke STEM High School
College: Georgia Tech
Intended major: Computer Science as a major but hopefully a bit of everything
Advice for ninth graders: Remember to relax, have fun, and explore. High school is a time for finding yourself and living life, but always keep in mind that grades are still important. While they may not be life or death, grades are the steppingstone towards living a fulfilling life as they enable you towards your goals and aspirations.
One moment or story you will tell your grandchildren about your high school experience during the pandemic: It’s important to look on the bright side of everything. Although the pandemic was an incredibly tough period of time and caused much heartache, it brought me closer to my friends and introduced me to new ones as well. Friends that I most likely never would have met otherwise.
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