Class of 2025 Seniors are getting ready to walk the stage on graduation day in June at the Alamodome. As the final months of the school year approach, two seniors share a similar urgency in starting their career paths; though one of them is attending college and the other is not. Senior LMS student Gabriel Gonzales plans on attending college and shares which one.

“I’m going to UTSA and I’m gonna be majoring in political science,” Gonzales said.

Another senior who is not attending college, Leila Arcos, shares her plans after graduation that differs from Gonzales’s, but was chosen to fit her own individual needs.

“My plan is to be a nail technician,” Arcos said. “After high school I plan on working full time wherever I can, but I didn’t want to go to college because it’s kind of expensive and just not right for me.”

Having just one more year of highschool left to be completed, both Gonzales and Arcos reflect on their years in high school and explain how grateful they are for the opportunities they have experienced. 

“High school has been pretty good,” Gonzales said. “It’s been a pretty cool four years, I made a lot of friends and new experiences and stuff like that.”

 “High school was very fun. I was in the pep squad for 3 years and made so many new friends. Even going to competitions I have learned a lot about myself and got to experience it all through dancing. I decided not to be in it anymore though so I could get my grades up and focus on myself but while I was in it, there was never a dull moment,” Arcos said.

Compared to their freshman years, Gonzales and Arcos notice growth and change in their character over the past four years. As the years pass by, each of their passions are fueled by their friends and through school. Gonzales shares the spark of his interest in the career he wanted to start after graduation.

“My freshman year I got accepted into LMS in the government strand. Ever since then, I’ve been taking those classes all four years so it’s become a passion of mine,” Gonzales said.

Arcos also talks about what- or who in this case- fueled her passion for wanting to become a nail technician. By gaining inspiration from all around social media and through friends and family, Arcos is becoming more eager for the career that awaits her after graduating.

“My friend Lila inspired me because she started doing nails and that made me think to myself oh this is so cool I actually want to do nails or hair. I like doing my makeup every day so I figured I can make a career out of that,” Arcos said.

The graduation ceremony is just 4 months away, obliging Seniors to think further into the future and set a goal for themselves to achieve. To be specific, Gonzales and Arcos think 10 years ahead and discuss their ideal life.

“In 10 years from now, hypothetically, I see myself probably just finishing law school as a lawyer,” Gonzales said, “In ten years I see myself, like I said, doing nails, hair, or lashes because I think that’s pretty fun. My tia also went to cosmetology school and she liked it a lot so that kind of influenced me to want to join as well. In the future though I plan on making my own shop or business. That’s where I see my career path,” Arcos said.