Booming music, great games, tasty food, and good people followed by an amazing game at the Western Hills football field. Sounds fun, right? We celebrated The Class of 25s last home game (AKA Senior Night) with a big celebration of a tailgate party. The culture of the tailgate is to celebrate with family and friends and get excited to support the sports team that will play directly after the tailgate. Typical tailgates are good social events as long as the people have something in common or they share interest in the sport and team that are playing the game after.
Our senior class officers and Senior counsel set up this terrific experience for the students and staff at our high school, providing them with a safe space for conversations, bonding, and good food. With this being one of the first tailgates at Western Hills, it impacted a lot of our students. Some individuals stated that the following aspects of the tailgate could be improved. Western Hills senior Tariyah Jones spoke about things she wanted to see while at the tailgate. She states, “ I expect to see multiple grills cooking a series of aromatic foods. Generally, there are games involved as well, given that tailgates are inherently social events. Large picnic tables hounding varieties of snacks .’’ Containing varieties of food and activities while at the tailgate, it made it successful for the attendees. Making time and better arrangements Tailgating is much more than a pre-game activity; it is a celebration of fandom, community, and tradition. The power of social connection, the appeal of traditions, and the sense of community all contribute to the unique enjoyment of tailgating. Western Hills Victoria Oakley explained, “There were a lot of peers that hangout after school ends; they might not have necessarily interacted with one another until now. Also, [they were] taking time to get to know
Have you ever sat down and thought about what to do with your future? Would you end up successful? Will You make it out and make a living for yourself? Have you ever felt that pressure of becoming something greater and getting somewhere better from where you are currently? With pressure, there comes stress and especially because you feel timed into trying to find what you want to do to become a great and successful person. Some people don’t know what career to take until they’re in college as well. Some people go into college and they drop out and give up.
Then there are some students that already know what to do when they’re out of high school. I asked a student if she knew what she wanted to be when she grew up or what she wanted to do once she finished high school. Azaleya Tensley, an 11th grader that goes to Western Hills University High School said, “ Yes, when I grow up I want to be a clinical psychologist. When I was younger I wanted to be a lawyer or do real estate.” Some pressure can also come from parents' expectations. A lot of parents expect their kids to go to college or do something that will make them successful.
Some parents also want their kids to go into certain careers as well. Some students don’t ever want to disappoint their parents and make it seem like their sacrifices were for nothing. So it pressures students even more to figure out what to do later after high school. I asked a student if she ever felt pressure to disappoint her parents. Paola Vasquez Morales, an early graduate in the 11th grade that goes to Western Hills University High School said, “Yes, I do feel pressured or scared to disappoint my parents because I don't want them to take me as a bad daughter.” Not only can pressure come from parents' expectations, Pressure can also be accumulated by peers. Some students already know what to do after high school. Some students are already making progress and getting very close to their dream careers as well.
So some students who still don’t know what career to get into, get even more pressured into figuring out what to do as soon as possible. Some students could even get unmotivated by the stress that comes with all the pressure of figuring out what career or job to get in. I asked a student if she ever compared herself to her peers who are already making progress in careers they’re interested in. Serenity Reid, a senior student at Western Hills University High School said, “ Yes, I sometimes do compare myself to others. I start feeling behind and sometimes it makes me feel like I'm not ‘locked in’.” Some students are also afraid to chase after their dream careers. Some students have a dream career, but put aside their dreams for their reasons. Some are afraid to give up easily and some are afraid to go after their dream career because of the pay. This is another pressure students sometimes face while in the process of deciding what career to take part in. It is up to students to figure out what to do as well. Either to risk it and go after that dream career they have dreamed about, or to start looking for other optional careers that seem interesting but with higher pay.
I asked two students if they were afraid to chase after their dream careers. Tensley says, “Yes, my dream career is to be a lawyer. Though it takes 8 years in school. 8 years in school is a long time and that takes a lot of motivation that I don’t think I have. With that comes all the debt after 8 years.” Although, some students take the risk of taking on their dream careers, some decide to not take the risk at all. Reid says, “Yes, my dream career is to be a photographer. I wanted to start a business but I'm scared it doesn’t pay well so I decided to change careers and go into criminal justice.”
