It’s the year 2045. The population is around 9.47 billion, the world is on its 51st president, and the KHS class of 2025 has officially graduated 20 years ago. As 2025 seniors savor their final high school moments, the hallways buzz with plans for college, careers, and adventures beyond Kinnelon. KHS students are beginning to imagine their college years and the next two decades. From surgeons to teachers to business owners, the KHS class of 2025 has ambitious endeavors planned for their adult years. 20 years from now, where do KHS seniors see themselves?
Walking the graduation stage is more than simply receiving a diploma. It’s a ceremony of celebrating the past and opening a new chapter in life after high school. This chapter has millions of different career paths that KHS seniors are beginning to explore. When seniors were asked where they see themselves in 20 years, endless different paths were answered.
Throughout high school, KHS senior Sophia Parisi has been a four-year volleyball and softball player and a member of multiple clubs. Parisi is going to Quinnipiac University to major in business. In 20 years, Parisi is excited to explore different career paths, but doesn’t want to stray far from her hometown roots: “In 20 years, I see myself working somewhere in the business field, and I plan to keep in touch with my Kinnelon friends.”
KHS Valedictorian Miranda Drace has shown academic and athletic achievements in high school. After she graduates from Princeton University with a mathematics major, Drace plans a bright future: “In twenty years, I see myself working in some high-stress but well-paying math job, living in a huge mansion with my husband, pets, and children, and traveling often.”
Alongside Valedictorian Drace is the salutatorian Sara Garg. In Garg’s years in KHS, she had many leadership roles, such as president of the Executive Board, and was a 4-year varsity tennis player. Although Garg isn’t playing tennis in college, she still sees herself playing tennis past high school. Garg is attending Stanford University as an economics major, and can imagine a completely different life in 20 years, “In 20 years, I see myself building a successful career in investment banking, living in New York City, traveling often, spending time with friends and family, going down the shore often, and enjoying everything the city has to offer.”
Senior class co-vice President Julia Bubbico is attending Rowan University as a marketing major in the fall. Bubbico was an active student council member and varsity cheer captain throughout high school. Although it is bittersweet for Bubbico to leave KHS behind, in 20 years, Bubbico plans to have a career and family balance. “In 20 years, I see myself with a family working hard in the business world.”
Academics are a pivotal part of many KHS seniors’ lives. Four years of memories, friendships, and victories are reflected during the graduation countdown. Senior Jonny Papendick is leaving behind KHS lacrosse memories and preparing to make new ones on the Liberty University Boys’ Lacrosse team. In the fall, Papendick is majoring in Mechanical Engineering as a lacrosse commit, and thinks college will sculpt the person he will become in 20 years, “In 20 years I see myself still excerting the leadership skills and discipline I learned on the KHS turf, and will learn on the Liberty University Boy’s Lacrosse team.”
The KHS Class of 2025 is preparing to leave behind an era of their lives and prepare for upcoming memories and success. While some graduates plan to stay close to their hometown roots, others are branching further. As graduation festivities begin, it is important to celebrate past successes, but preparing for the great things graduates plan to do decades after graduation is also essential.
