For Solon High School seniors Trevin Wilcox, Trea Eidahl, and Layla Shipley, graduation marks both an ending and a beginning.
Wilcox said graduating feels like the start of adulthood and a chance to become more independent.
“Just moving on to (the) start of my adulthood life,” Wilcox said. “Finally leaving behind the confines of having to live with my parents, not being responsible for much of my life, and going on to this and being more independent and really finding out who I am as an adult and as a person.”
Eidahl said graduation feels like “the next big step in life,” especially as she prepares for nursing school and a future career. Shipley described it as “closing one chapter,” and opening another.
“New opportunities are coming,” Shipley said.
The three seniors said one of the moments that best represented their class was Senior Sunrise, when members of the graduating class gathered in the school parking lot for breakfast at the start of the year.
“We all came together as a grade this year,” Shipley said. “We usually haven’t been as close, but this year on our first day of school, we had Senior Sunrise and we all came together.”
Their graduating class has about 125 students, and the seniors said they have seen their class grow and mature since freshman year.
“I definitely have matured,” Eidahl said.
Shipley added that senior activities helped bring the class closer together.
“I feel like we’ve gotten closer with Senior Sunrise and different senior stuff,” Shipley said.
Teachers also played a major role in shaping their high school experiences.
Wilcox said math teacher Mrs. McCollum had the biggest impact on him. He plans to major in math at North Carolina State University and hopes to eventually teach at the college level.
“She’s like the advanced kind of math teacher, so I’ve had her for a lot of my classes, and she’s been a really big help in a lot of it,” Wilcox said. “She wrote a lot of recommendation letters for me for scholarships and for my college applications.”
Shipley said Mr. Taylor and Mrs. Posekany were influential in her high school experience.
“He’s been my seminar teacher since freshman year, and he’s also been my English teacher, so it’s helped me grow in multiple ways,” Shipley said of Taylor. “She (Posekany) opened up my eyes into what I want to do in the future and what I want to major in college, which is human physiology,” she added.
Eidahl said Mrs. Kerkove and former school counselor Mrs. Anderson helped guide her toward nursing.
“She would help me a lot, figure out what classes, the prerequisites I need to take now for nursing school next year so I can get them out of the way,” Eidahl said.
Outside the classroom, the students were involved in sports, clubs, and leadership activities.
Wilcox participated in archery, track, yearbook, National Honor Society, and tutoring.
“Archery has definitely taught me a lot of control and staying calm under pressure,” Wilcox said. “Tutoring kind of inspired me (to be) what I wanted to be when I’m older, which is a college professor.”
Eidahl said sports helped her develop time management skills.
“Just also the time management too, like being in those extra things and having homework and work, and other stuff,” she said.
Shipley said cross country and track helped her grow through challenges.
“I think both mentally and physically, it shaped me and helped me become a stronger, not only athlete, but also person,” Shipley said.
When asked what advice they would give to younger students, Wilcox said not to worry as much about others’ opinions.
“What people think of you doesn’t matter as much as you think it does,” Wilcox said. “Those people that I thought were judging me were thinking those same things about themselves.”
Eidahl encouraged freshmen to take advantage of college-level courses early.
“I would really recommend taking a bunch of Kirkwood classes, because I’m going straight to the nursing program next year, and I got two years of pre-requisites done and out of the way, and paid for in high school,” Eidahl said.
Shipley emphasized staying present.
“Live in the moment and don’t take any time for granted,” she said.
After graduation, Wilcox plans to attend North Carolina State University and major in math. Eidahl plans to attend Allen College for nursing and hopes to become a nurse practitioner. Shipley plans to attend the University of Iowa to major in human physiology with hopes of becoming a sports medicine physician assistant.
The seniors said they are excited for independence and new opportunities. Wilcox said he is especially looking forward to leaving Iowa.
“That’s what I’m most excited for.”
While they are excited, they also acknowledged some nerves. Wilcox said he will miss people who impacted his life. Eidahl said she is nervous about the workload of nursing school, and Shipley said she is adjusting to a much larger environment.
The seniors said the community’s support is what makes the district special.
“Because Solon’s smaller, it’s really great to be able to see the whole town come together,” Eidahl said. “Especially my sophomore year, when we won State Basketball. Just seeing everybody up at Wells Fargo.”
Shipley agreed.
“You always go to see basketball, like home cross country meets, and everyone in town comes to that,” Shipley said.
Looking back, each senior said they are proud of different accomplishments.
Wilcox said joining National Honor Society (NHS) and becoming editor of the yearbook helped build leadership skills.
Eidahl said she is proud of completing her nursing prerequisites and being a valedictorian.
Shipley said she is proud of being in NHS, serving as co-president of student council, and being a valedictorian.
The seniors described their final year in words like “easygoing,” “grateful,” and “thankful.”
“I feel like this year has been the least stressful year,” Wilcox said. “I’ve had the most fun with my friends this year.”
Eidahl said she feels grateful for the opportunities she’s had, while Shipley said she feels thankful for the people she’s met along the way.
The seniors agreed walking across the stage will feel bittersweet.
“It’s exciting to move on, but it’s also sad because we won’t all be together again,” Shipley said.
