By Dian Zhang
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
As the winter season begins settling in, many 12th-grade students across the nation have finished applying for colleges. The application window for many four-year universities has already closed.
In celebration of this joyous occasion, Rim of the World High School hosted its first-ever College Application Celebration on Friday, Dec. 8. Students who applied to any four-year university were eligible to partake in the celebration.
During the celebration, seniors were paraded through the halls of the high school as teachers and students came out to show their support. Music blasted through the halls as triumphant cheers from the seniors echoed off the walls.
Principal Brian Willemse followed the parade, dragging a booming stereo behind him. The parade ended in the school cafeteria, where students were then served a Jersey Mike’s lunch.
“This is the first celebration ever for any student that applied to a four-year college,” Principal Willemse said. “It’s a big deal. If a student fulfilled all the requirements to be able to apply to college and actually took that step in their life, that’s really important, and we want to celebrate that.”
College applications for four-year universities can sometimes take upwards of months to finish. Beyond inputting personal information, many colleges require students to write multiple essays revealing the student’s interests, areas of strength and personal experiences.
Schools under the University of California (UC) and California State University public university systems have been a popular choice among seniors this year.
Going to a four-year college is but one of the numerous possibilities after high school. In anticipation of that, Rim High School plans on hosting another senior celebration later in the school year.
“There’s going be a celebration in the spring,” Principal Willemse said, “and it will focus more on all the different paths kids take. Some might do a trade school or a community college, and we want to celebrate all those things. We want to celebrate everyone’s path, whatever that is.”
As seniors begin looking forward and toward the rapidly approaching future, some cast a glance backwards, feeling nostalgic.
“Being up in the mountains, I feel like we have so much of a privilege during the seasons. I’ll definitely miss my friends and my family,” senior Ethan Parcells said. “I applied to Cal Poly Pomona and the Air Force Academy. After high school, I plan on taking advantage of the Air Force and free education and serve my country for around four years. In the future, I might go into a nursing program or firefighting.”
Senior Phillip Sevilla expressed excitement for the future: “I’m ready. I applied to CSUSB, CSUF and San Diego State. After high school, I’ll probably work in the FBI,” he added.
As the celebration ended, many seniors left with a sense of accomplishment and preparedness for the future. What a wonderful way to start off the holiday season!
Rim High senior Diane Zhang herself participated in the celebration. She reports on school events throughout the year.
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