There are so many opportunities for graduating seniors in terms of finding out what they want to do on their future paths. As graduation for the class of 2023 is coming soon, the path of new discovery is still open to so many of Coronado’s students. Even those who know what they want to accomplish are still willing to experience new things.

Most commonly, a graduating student will head off to the college of their choice which will help grow their passions and dreams for the future. Aimee Wright, senior, shared her college goal once she graduates this year: “My passion in life is mechatronic engineering which is basically animatronic engineering. The pathway to that is to learn more about the engineering field: UCCS has the best possible class in the state of Colorado, so going to that college will help me [enter] the door of engineering.”

Every now and then, a recruiting table for fields such as the Navy and Marines would show up in the cafeteria. Jacob Pivonka, senior, will actually be joining the military community in September this year as he heads off to the Air Force reserves: “Going into the Air Force reserves mainly because of the benefits for college, and I think going to the air force is going to give me a bigger variety of options. Joining the reserves will definitely help me with self-discipline and more of a moral compass for my plan in life.”

However, a choice that some students make is to take a gap year (students taking a break from their studies after completing high school) which is a good time to take a break from the stress of expectations and to focus more on personal goals. Robert Bullock, senior, will be taking a gap year after graduating “so that [he] can find a good job and save up enough for a college instead of just jumping into things.”

The class of 2023 certainly has high hopes for their future careers, as does Mr. Smith, Coronado’s principal, who gave his advice to all of Coronado’s graduating students: “Pursue your passion, but also recognize that passion is developed by putting in the good work. It takes someone hours upon hours of practice and improvement to develop the strength to reach the end goal of that student’s dreams. I wish the best of luck to every senior in our department, and that they live their lives doing the jobs and passions that they love.”