By Madeleine Edwards
Sun High School Reporter
Each year, juniors and seniors at Sonoma Valley High School use the month of March to prepare for their futures in a variety of ways. Juniors begin to compile lists of colleges to apply to, or familiarize themselves with college essay prompts, and Seniors who applied to college receive the decisions that will help them make up their minds about where they will spend the next four years.
Though these students, this year, are preparing for their futures just as they have in the past, this year brings a myriad of new challenges and uncertainties that they must face. That includes instability in the federal government which oversees scholarships like FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), changes in the classification of which careers or degrees are considered “professional,” economic hardships, and a changing social climate.
Many students who graduate from Sonoma Valley High go on to attend Santa Rosa Junior College. Some go into the trades or into the workforce, and others aspire to attend four year colleges, like juniors Victoria Wence Hernandez and Sheccid Zarco Salazar, as well as senior Isabella Alvarez.
After high school, Wence wants to pursue architecture or design. “For me, my future has looked like one that’s always included a lot of school …When I graduate next year, I want to go straight to a four year [university],” she said.
Alvarez also plans to attend a lot of schooling in her future. Following university, she wants to go to law school and become a district attorney. “I’ve always known I wanted to be a lawyer, and after talking to so many lawyers at the state competition for Mock Trial, I’m so excited to become a lawyer.”
Zarco has a very sentimental reason behind her future plans: her mother’s devotion to nursing. Zarco said in an interview that, “I see myself going to college to get a major in biology, going to a good med school, and completing my dreams to become an obstetrics and gynecologist. My hope is that my future is filled with many women feeling great about themselves.” She also acknowledges the difficulty of her future path, referencing the intense memorization and competition required in medical school. Despite these difficulties, she expressed her excitement to empower women.
Another challenge these students confront is a changing political climate in the United States. “Seeing as I’m going to be a lawyer, and in the DA’s office, our economy and political status has an impact on me and my career,” said Alvarez. “As far as how it impacts me right now as a woman and a person of color, I hope for recovery.”
“I believe it would be very insensitive of me to say [politics] doesn’t impact me, due to me coming from two parents who came here to the U.S. for a better future for me. A major factor that can impact many people’s dream to become a dentist or doctor or pediatrician is Trump banning DEl in America …What once gave us equality is gone … it affects not only my future, but millions of others, leading to less inclusivity and impacting healthcare,” said Zarco.
Wence expressed her concerns about FAFSA. “With how things are looking currently…there’s been talks about changes to FAFSA and other financial aids which would really impact students like me, first-gen or low-income students. Our parents depend on us to become successful,” she said.
Wence has mixed feelings about her future. She worries about the possibility of things going wrong, but is also “so, so excited to move to a different (bigger) city and start life living differently to now.”
Despite worrying about their futures Alvarez, Wence and Zarco all shared a feeling of optimism. Alvarez expressed her excitement about becoming a lawyer, and Zarco shared an inspiration she uses to motivate herself. “It is important to remember that we all have an opportunity to make the world a better place, despite our beliefs and to know that the only obstacle in our way is our fear.”
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