As the school year comes to a close, so does the seniors’ time here at Holyoke High School. They’ve been here for four long (or short) years, and are finally approaching their graduation date. Our Herald seniors shared with us what they would say to their freshmen selves, as well as their plans after high school.

Aiden Moriarty: “I’d tell myself to just enjoy myself more and to put myself out there. Freshman year I held back and had a hard time making friends, I regret that. Next year I’m going to the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C where I’ll major in finance.”

Anthony Cruz: “School kinda sucks, but you kinda have to do it, and it’s actually kinda worth it. It’s gonna seem like the worst thing ever sometimes, but in the end, you’ll feel pretty proud of yourself, and you might actually miss it. I’ll be attending HCC after high school.”

Danny Boyle: “Enjoy every second of high school. I’ll be studying environmental science at West Virginia University after graduation.”

Carissa Costanza: “My advice to my freshman self would be that you should really try to do well in all of your classes and you should try and get involved in as many after school activities that you can because it will elp a lot with applying to college and you get the whole high school experience. My plans after high school are to go to Elms to major in nursing and also run on the Elms cross country team.”

Ellen Rice: “Organization is more important than you think. It’s nice to pass, but you should never be afraid of failing. Even though you never had to study before high school, study now! I will be going to Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts next fall and majoring in English/Communications.”

Garrett Lemieux: “Coming into high school as a freshman I was extremely nervous. I could hardly eat food for the first three days. School wasn’t necessarily difficult, I was just anxious to know that I was going to school with people that were literally adults. Looking back at it as a senior, all I can do is laugh.

To this day I still can’t believe that I was that much of a freak about being so nervous. Although I know I will be the same exact way going into college, I know that after the first week or two I will be fine. I’ll be attending Providence College in the fall.”

Lara McGeer: “The advice I would give is to do your work. Plain and simple. It might suck while you’re doing it, but it really pays off in the end. Applying to colleges and making your decision is so much easier when you know you’ve put your all into your grades. And it will help you get into better schools and get more financial aid. Be on top of your work and you’ll be all set. Also, don’t stress out too much; life is too short to be so worried about the C- you got on one math quiz. I’ll be attending Bay Path University.”

Matt McAndrew: “Just do your work and get out, don’t be an idiot. I’ll be attending Suffolk University in Boston after graduation.”

Nora Taupier: “Work harder throughout high school, when it comes time to pick a college, you are going to want more money, and the better grades you get, the more money you can get from colleges. I’ll be attending Mount Holyoke in the fall.”