In Lincoln High Schools, there are predominantly two types of seniors. You have an athlete, and you have a senior who is partial to the arts. The athlete is obviously into sports, may be 5’10, weigh 200 pounds. The senior involved in the arts will undoubtedly be involved in theater, dance, and/or choir.
Alonga Chol is a senior involved with football at Northeast. When asked what Chol was planning to do after high school, he explained that he’d like to go to a D1 college in Miami and get his masters in physical therapy. Football isn’t all he does. He also participates in basketball at Lincoln Northeast as well. Alonga mentioned working out in what little free time he does have, and he works at Mellow Mushroom after practice. He says he thinks he could make it to the pro’s but wouldn’t like to get ahead of himself. His favorite part of being a senior is that it is his last year and he only has four classes. We know there are struggles of being an athlete. When asked, he told us one of the struggles was practicing in the heat. Alonga also mentioned that playing with injuries was another struggle. He has been playing with a half torn meniscus and ACL. He also has struggles similar to all other seniors – managing an academic workload. Figuring out what to do and where to go for college is another constant struggle seniors face. I asked Alonga if he had any advice for younger athletes. “Don’t wait until junior senior year to start working, practice all the time.”
In comparison, Taliyah Lillard from Lincoln High says her number one fear of being a senior is making sure she’s passing all her classes. Taliyah’s favorite part of being a senior is of course the fact that this is her last year, and she will be graduating. Taliyah plans on going to college in either Nebraska or Tennessee majoring in “some type of therapy.” Taliyah doesn’t only go to school full time, she is also in theater. She has theater rehearsal Tuesday through Thursday from 3:15 to 6:00. Taliyah is also working at Selectel Wireless. On school days, she works from 4:00 to 8:00, on Saturdays 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, and Sundays 12:00 to 5:00. I asked Taliyah if she had any advice for underclassmen. “Get involved in clubs and sports. And pick good friends.”
According to ASCD, “Many American students consider employment an integral part of their high school experience. NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) data from 1992 show that more than two-thirds of high school students were employed during their senior year, with 22.7 percent of those students working more than 20 hours per week.” The burden of a part time job while managing academic workload of homework and study can cause students to stress out. “Most students worked in nonacademic jobs, with almost 25 percent employed in the foodservice industry, 14.5 percent working as a grocery clerk or cashier, and 11.8 percent working in sales. The vast majority of students earned between $4.25 and $6 per hour.” Having a part time job is necessary for students who hope to be independent in the future, and this especially applies to seniors.
Taliyah Lillard, Lincoln High School
