After graduating highschool, former students have experienced a multitude of life events and changes. 

Andrea Vandenbark, ‘19, a current freshman at Brigham Young University, is majoring in genetics, genomics, and biotechnology. Vandenbark continued learning German in college. “We speak only in German, which was nerve wracking at first, but I can tell it’s already helped me learn more,” says Vandenbark.

Christian Petersen, ‘19, is a freshman at Iowa State University, and is majoring in mechanical engineering. Petersen discovers that college requires better time management. “College is a lot of balancing, but also a lot of fun,” says Petersen.

Brandon Powell, ‘19, is a freshman at the University of Saint Mary, majoring in criminology. Powell enjoys the events at his college. “Almost every week we have some kind of fun campus or dorm activities. One of my favorite ones was a homemade slip-n-slide with a bunch of inflatables to ride down it,” says Powell

Kylie Brous, ‘18, is a current sophomore at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, majoring in math education. Brous finds college to be challenging. “College is like riding a bike, except for the bike is on fire, you’re on fire, you have no idea where you are going, but somehow it’s all okay,” says Brous. She expresses how it is also a learning experience. “College will force you to confront who you really are and who you want to be,” Brous said.

Mallory Schwindt, ‘17, a junior at the University of Kansas, is majoring in architectural engineering. Schwindt describes how much fun the basketball games are, “Camping out for good seats is the best part. You get to spend more time at Allen Fieldhouse, have an amazing view at the games, and make friends who are as passionate as you are,” Schwindt said.

A current junior at the University of Indianapolis, Marko Tasic, ‘17, is majoring in industrial engineering. Tasic explains how stressful college can be. “ It’s especially challenging being a student athlete and juggling school, swimming, and my social life but it’s very rewarding,” says Tasic.

From these former students, we can learn that college is very different from what many might initially think.