Ephrata seniors looking forward to the next adventure
Alejandra Mendoza (left) and Chance Flanigan said they are excited to find out what happens after graduation, scheduled for Friday.
EPHRATA - Kids can get the most out of high school by putting something into it. That's the lesson that Chance Flanigan and Alejandra Mendoza said they drew from their experiences at Ephrata High School.
Both Alejandra and Chance stayed busy in high school - sports, clubs, volunteer activities. Both said getting involved is the way to go. "It's more rewarding if you put in the time," Alejandra said. Kids can skate through school and still make it, Chance said, but they miss out on opportunities that could help them after they graduate.
"If you don't get involved, you're not helping yourself," he said. People notice when kids put in the time and effort, he said.
"So many opportunities are out there for you. The more you do, the more opportunities you can get," Alejandra said.
Alejandra played soccer, was on the dance team, and "I think I was in seven clubs this year." They ranged from National Honor Society to Key Club to Mecha (for Hispanic students) to Student Council. Along with that she participated in Teaching Academy, where high school students work in classrooms throughout the district.
The thing is, she's not interested in being a teacher, Alejandra said. She wants to be a doctor, a pediatrician to be exact. She joined the Teaching Academy program as a test, to see if she really liked kids. She's decided it's the right career. "The children are just amazing."
Chance is a football and basketball player, in track, National Honor Society, Student Council and Link Crew. He's the ASB representative on the committee planning the 100th anniversary of Ephrata High School.
Both were in Orange E, the committee that planned the annual school carnival. (It's a lot of fun for little kids, Chance said.) They are both in Avid, which helps students prepare for college.
"I think Avid has definitely helped us," Chance said. Students must apply to get in. "Once you get in it's hard to get out. That's a good thing, too," Alejandra said.
One of Avid's techniques is extensive research in possible careers, which provided confirmation for Chance's choice of a career in commercial aviation. His grandfather was a pilot, and he has the motivation to see the world. He's done a little traveling, he said, and he wants to keep going. "So much of the world we don't know," he said.
"I've looked up in the sky and I see how they float in the sky, above everything," he said. And his research showed him it's going to be a growing career field, he said. "There's going to be a huge demand for pilots."
He's already enrolled in the aviation program at Big Bend Community College, then will transfer to Central Washington University. Alejandra is planning to get her undergraduate degree from Washington State University, then enroll in the University of Washington medical school.
Their advice for kids entering high school, or already there, is to avoid procrastination. "If you put things off - oh, you're dead," Chance said. High school gets a lot more challenging, too, Alejandra said. Freshman classes weren't that hard, but that changed when she became a sophomore. "It's a big jump from freshman year," she said.
They'll spend the summer working, then it's college. They're both looking forward to the challenge, they said. "I'm just ready to go out there and see what's waiting for me," Alejandra said.
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