Two Marine officers came to PHS to help recruit juniors and seniors into the military. Photo By: Taylor Drake
By Taylor Drake
Each year Plymouth High School has new graduating seniors; each senior has his or her own path that he or she might take. When thinking about leaving school, there are numerous options that one can consider, such as: going to college, joining the military, or working straight out of high school.
For students who are going to college after they graduate high school, picking the right college is a crucial step. Korie Rice, wants “to major in psychology during undergraduate studies and then attend graduate school for optometry.” Rice said, “Primarily what made me decide on IU [Indiana University] was the cost vs how much the school has to offer. I was between Butler University and IU, however I chose IU because it is half the cost of Butler plus IU offers more academically and socially when compared to Butler.” Like Rice, Katelyn O’ Neal is another student who has already picked out her college. She said, “After visiting some other colleges I found the community at Grace is very open and caring and students would stop us on our tour group just to say hello and see how everyone was doing. At other colleges, we went on the tour and no one talked to us except for our guides. Also, when released to chapel or lunch, we were sent off by ourselves to figure out what to do and I felt somewhat lost. At Grace, I felt very welcome and was not treated like an outsider. It is also a Christian based college which is important to me for growth in my faith with a strong community of believers. I hope that this will also help me to determine what major I will study. There is a freshman class that goes on throughout the first year for the whole freshman class that is specialized to help you ‘find your calling’ which was also very appealing to me.”
Continuing with O’Neal and Rice, Kylee Rippy said, “What made me decide on [DePaul University] was the opportunities it would offer me in the field of study I want to go into. I got accepted into their Media Fellows program and that will allow me to study more in depth with the media (communications) and have an internship at either a talk show or news station such as the Ellen Show or CNN.” After a student decides on the college they want, students can choose whether they want to start school right away or take a gap year. O’Neal said, “I think that [a gap year] could be a great opportunity for people to figure out who they are, what skills they possess, and what career they desire. I think that a break year after high school can be a good thing, as long as the person uses that time wisely to get a sense of what he/she wants to do in life. If the person wastes that year to just relax and have fun, than I don’t think they should have taken a break year. On the other hand, if they use that time to go through some different programs in different fields, or intern for things they are interested in, or go on a missions trip for a year to grow in faith, I think that they have used that year wisely to get a handle on life and their future. However, I still think that if someone does not know what they want to do, college can be a good place to figure that out. Most people either don’t know or they do know what they want to do for college, but then they end up changing their major anyway.”
One way to find if you are right for the military is to read pamphlets found in the counseling office. Photo by: Taylor Drake
Agreeing with O’Neal, Clayton Lenig said, “The fact that many Ivy League Schools encourage this activity should show parents and students that it might be a viable thing to invest in. I believe that taking a year off from school before college should not be considered a ‘break’. Instead, a high school graduate should decide to take that time to pursue job opportunities (such as internships) in their field, learn new languages (or find other ways to improve literacy), earn money, and take extra time to prepare for essays, portfolios, interviews or auditions to ensure quality and understanding.”
In addition to college, another choice that seniors can make is to take a year off to work after school. Students like Shylyn Ickles will be going to work and making her way up from the position she is at now. Ickles said, “I work at Grace Village Retirement Home in Warsaw Indiana, as a CNA [Certified Nursing Assistant].” She chose to go into this field because her “whole family has been in the field of nursing and I think I was brought to this earth to help people out. I have a passion for what I do.” Each student has his or her own reasons for his or her choices. Hope Fish said that she chose to work at the library because she didn’t have the money to go to college.
Another option for after school is going into the military. PHS student Kevin Bachman is going into the US Navy and student Jordon Clark is going into the US Marine Corps. Bachman said, “I chose to join the United States Armed Forces because I always wanted to serve my country and make it a safer place for my family and friends. The Navy will also give me the chance to visit other countries and further my education.” Clark had a similar reason for joining. He said, “I wanted to do something more important, and give something back to my country.” Also in the military one is able to continue his or her education. Bachman is doing just that. He said, “I will be [getting a higher education], but not until after I finish A School and Powerschool because anything I learn there is classified. While on the ship, there will be a professor there to teach courses and by the end of my contract I should have my associates degree.”
When people join the military, they have to think of where they will go and how long they want to stay. Bachman said, “My contract is for 6 years but I plan on staying in for at least 20-25 years so I can retire within the Navy. I have been accepted, and I do not know [where I will be stationed], basic training for me is in Great Lakes, Illinois north of Chicago. Then Nuclear Power School is for 2 years in Goose Creek, South Carolina.” Clark also said the he wanted to make a career out of it. He will be leaving for the Marine Corps on July 13, 2015.
No matter what a person chooses to do after he/she leaves high school, he or she has a hard decision and multiple options to consider.