At a recent Round Table, Jack, Kenisha, Maya, and Skyla spoke with each other celebrated and reflected on the bittersweet end to their four memorable years of high school. Attending high schools in different locations--and heading off to Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Amherst respectively--they discussed what made each of their high school experiences unique AND what made them similar. Something very intriguing that was brought up was the idea of connections–that is, there are so many people we come in contact with who we discover some kind of surprising connection with, creating a sense that our big worlds can actually be quite small. This makes them all feel extra excited about the wide array of opportunities that await them at college to network and interact with individuals from many different backgrounds.
They were also very open with each other–and you, our listeners–in voicing concerns they have related to their upcoming college experiences and what they will mean to the sense of community they've felt in their lives leading up to now. They also spoke about how the pandemic has led to even more hyper-competitiveness about admission to prestigious colleges and universities, increasing competition between peers to always be on top of everyone else and even to try to bring others down–something they badly want to counteract. They also, of course, shared concerns about legacy admissions and race-based affirmative action as they speculated about what the recent ruling of the Supreme Court will mean for prospective college applicants. By ending the systematic consideration of race in the college admissions process, they know that educational disparities and inequity will increase.
Throughout this reflective conversation, as they look ahead into college and beyond, they spoke about the skills, lessons, and significant values they will take away from high school as they start a new and exciting chapter of their lives. Over the last four years, they have learned to make peace with “failure,” to not compare themselves with others, and to demonstrate resilience–mindsets they will apply to the beginnings of their post-secondary education. Congratulations to the CLASS OF 2023 and thanks for listening!
