With the 2018-2019 school year coming to an end, our graduating class of seniors is excited about the next chapter in their lives.

Are you ready to go?

Mario Morales, who plans to transfer to UF after 2 years in Miami Dade Honors College to study architecture, said, “I feel good about graduating. I have good opportunities ahead of me. Although I had a great time in high school, I’m ready to move on.”

Samuel Puentes, who will be going to FIU to study history, said, “I’m ready to leave. Not knowing what lies ahead is exciting.”

On the other hand, Stephanie Silva, who will be majoring in business administration at FIU, thinks graduating is bittersweet. “I’m going to miss the routine of seeing my friends every day and sharing classes with them. I look forward to what’s ahead but will always cherish what I’m leaving behind.”

Similarly, Belmar Hernandez, who will be majoring in sports medicine at FSU, said, “I want to move on and be independent. But I’m also sad about leaving behind all my memories at Miami High. So many life changing things have happened here.”

What’s next?

No matter the difference in feelings, most of Miami High’s 2019 batch of seniors are moving forward with a plan. Thalia Lopez, who was accepted to FIU’s Connect for Success program at Miami Dade, said, “I’m going to study for 2 years at Miami-Dade College before transferring to FIU. I hope to major in biology and one day become a pediatrician.”

Glenda Cabezas, who was accepted to MDC and will also be transferring to FIU, said, “I’ve always been very curious about childhood development, so I’ll be majoring in psychology.”

“I’ll be attending Tallahassee Community College before transferring to FSU,” said Christopher Valdes. “FSU is my dream school, and it would be an honor to graduate from their nursing program.”

Where do you see yourself 10 years now?

Many seniors easily envision themselves as future successes 10 years from now. Melissa Ravelo, who will be attending FIU, said, “I’ll be finishing medical school, working to be a fetal surgeon while in surgical residency.”

Jacky Zhang, who will be interning at Ford as a car salesman, said, “I’ll be living in a suburb in New Jersey, where I grew up. I’ll be financially independent and own a BMW.”

“I’ll have my own clinic in a low-income neighborhood,” said aspiring psychologist Valentina Figuera, who plans to transfer to UCF from Valencia Community College.

What will you miss?

With so much to be excited about in their future, the 2019 seniors took some time to reflect on their favorite memories at Stingtown. Glenda Cabezas was blown away by her first homecoming parade. “BETA was so extra, with dinosaurs and music and dancing. I’ve never seen anything like it before,” she said.

Stephanie Silva said, “I loved our senior picnic. It was the middle of the year, and all my friends were together in one place having fun.”

“I’ll miss being a part of the baseball team, especially my freshman year season,” said Mario Morales. “It was super competitive, and we had an awesome group of players. We won a lot of games.”

Would you go back in time?

Asked if they could go back in time and restart high school with what they now know, Melissa Ravelo said, “Although I did right by my academics and extracurriculars, landing at #3 in the class, I failed at networking. I wouldn’t have let my parents have so much control over what opportunities I could accept. Ultimately, it’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know.”

Carina Hernandez, who wants to be an animator in the future, said, “I wish I could go back knowing just how much potential I really had. I’d believe in myself more.”

How would you like to be remembered?

Bidding farewell to their classmates, every Sting wants to be remembered in a good light. For Belmar Hernandez, it’s to be seen as a girl who was always happy, helpful, and void of bad intentions.

Ilia Valdes, who plans to transfer from Miami Dade to FIU to study law, would like to be remembered as someone who was unique. “I think and work differently,” she said. “I don’t try to be like other people. I just want to be the best version of myself I can be.”

Samuel Puentes would like to be remembered as someone who cared about other people, “much like my mom.”

Reinaldo Cardenas, who plans to go to UCF to study marketing, said, “It doesn’t matter how I’d like to be remembered. I feel like people will carry this perception of me that I’m just a slacker. When you’re young, you make a lot of mistakes as you experiment with different attitudes, social groups, and dreams. If along the way, you tarnish your reputation, just keep your chin up. Prove them wrong.”