On February 13, seven Riverside alumni returned to Riverside’s gymnasium to answer questions about life after high school.
Bradley Langley (‘17), Arliss Butler (‘23), Jazmin Puebla (‘23), Mary Walters (‘23), Matthew Lin (‘19), Chris Dillahunt (‘23) and Emmanuel Cobbs (‘23) shared their perspectives on everything from transitioning to college and professional careers to time management with over twenty current Riverside students.
The event, which was organized by RHS college adviser Tori Harris, highlighted the different opinions alumni had when transitioning from high school to college and the military.
When asked if their lives now meet the expectations they set while in high school, some admitted they were met while others stated their expectations had changed.
“Yeah. I’m making money and going to school,” said Dilahunt, who now attends NC A&T.
On the other hand, Langley, who is now a sergeant in the Army National Guard, didn’t have any expectations for himself.
“I didn’t really have that mindset in high school so I didn’t really know where I would be four years after high school,” he said. “I’m really over where I expected to be after high school.”
The alumni helped students understand that there are more options than the typical four-year college that students are expected to attend after high school.
“I applied for college but then I didn’t want to go anymore,” said Butler, who now attends Durham Tech. “For me, I just wanted to take a break from school. I was exhausted, so that’s why I made my decision.”
Students also requested advice about how they could make money while in college. The alumni shared different advice from working a side job to investing in stocks.
“I do photography on the side so every December, and April, and May, I do graduation pictures and that’s just an easy way for me to make extra money,” said Lin, who recently graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and plans to attend med school.
“Invest your money into things [companies] that you like,” said Cobbs, who now attends NC A&T.
Many stated that it is important to start early in the application process.
“I would say to start early just cause I remember being there the day of still trying to write essays to turn in,” Lin said. “And I know for a fact that my essays weren’t great. It’s easy to put it off towards the end but I would say just start early.”
Puebla agreed.
“Also taking advantage of the early action deadlines that colleges put forth,” she said. “It’s going to be more work early on but it’s definitely worth it.”
While the alumni had different advice, their opinions emphasized that everyone’s path is different yet we are all going through the same process of transitioning from high school to life after it.
“As you get settled with [life after high school], you find your groove, and you find your people, and you just get more relaxed and comfortable with it,” said Walters.
