Senior Snapshots: Following Eight Seniors Through Their Final Year of High School

Having been at M-A since freshman year, senior Lexi Chua sees her high school experience as a significant period of personal growth: expanding her interests to fully experience everything while still staying true to herself. Lexi is a proud fan of Studio Ghibli movies and soundtracks, drawing, making strawberry and lychee macarons, and My Melody: a Japanese cartoon character who she’s recreating in her AP Java class.  

How are your friendships going? 

“I love my friend group. I have a big group and everyone’s so supportive, everyone’s so smart, everyone’s in it for each other––everyone just wants to help each other. We have a giant Discord server with like 50 people in it, so, if someone has homework issues, then people will always be there to help.”

What’s the best thing about senior year so far?

“The freedom of being able to drive to school and drive to my activities after school. I didn’t have my permit last year, so I was still biking. But, now going to golf practice after school, and being able to take myself anywhere has made this year so much better.”

Fears, emotions, excitements, and plans for after high school?

“I’m excited to meet a bunch of different people from all around the country and the world because I feel we’re living in such a bubble here. I’m planning on majoring in psychology or cognitive science, and I like them because they give a lot of open possibilities for the future.”

Fun Facts:

• Lexi’s favorite class is orchestra, where she’s the concertmaster (principal first violin). 
• Lexi is also on the robotics team. Despite being hesitant to join it during her first two years, she’s now found a tight-knit group there.
• Lexi has an older sister, Jayna, who currently goes to college in Illinois. For Lexi’s birthday, Jayna gave her a strawberry lanyard for her car keys.

Known for a bright smile and personality on campus, senior Yandel Hernandez came to M-A his sophomore year from KIPP Esperanza. A soccer player, enthusiastic student, and friend to many, Yandel plans to attend university next year, and is navigating the challenges of first-semester college applications. He has many beautiful ambitions in the future and he hopes to make his senior year a memorable one. 

What is your biggest goal for senior year? 

“I think my biggest goal is to get out of my shell. I’m someone who has some pretty bad social anxiety, so my main goal is to make as many friends as possible and to go past the limits that make me afraid to not talk to people. I want to be social and someone that others look forward to meeting.”

Fears, emotions, excitements, and plans for after high school? 

“I want to study physical therapy in college. The main reason is that I used to get a lot of injuries that would really break me because they limited me and my ability to play soccer. I used to have this physical therapist who would always help me through my problems. He left me a feeling of just wanting to care for and help others, so ever since I recovered from one of my injuries, something sparked in me. I wanted to help others the way my physical therapy did for me.”

What are the most important things to you right now?

“First of all, I’m gonna start with myself because there have been many times where I haven’t focused on self-care. Right now, I’m really prioritizing on what makes me happy, what I want to do, and accomplishing my goals. My main priority is making myself happy first and then making others happy. Number two has to be my family—I feel like that’s everybody’s thing, but family is very important since they’re always there for you. I would even consider some friends my family, too. My third and last one would be soccer. I’ve played it since I was three and my love for that sport hasn’t died yet.”

Fun Facts:

• Yandel plays club soccer for the San Mateo County Football Club.

• His favorite class is AVID because he’s grown a huge connection with people there. “They’re not just my peers, they’re like family,” he said.

• Senior year is his favorite year of high school. “There’s just so much going on!” he said.

Although senior Ofa Tahaafe only transferred to M-A this year from Eastside College Prep, she is already beloved on campus. She loves M-A because of its diversity and vast opportunities to socialize and meet new people. Whether she’s dancing with Poly club, taking photos for the yearbook, or chilling by her favorite part of campus—the new mural—she exudes positivity and joy.

What’s the best thing about senior year so far? Biggest challenge?

“I would say probably my English class. Mr. Rosenberg is a really funny teacher, so I think he really keeps my day going. If I get tired, his energy lifts me up so I don’t go to sleep. I love it when we go on walks on block days, because as a class, we need it because we’re just kind of low on energy.”

“My biggest challenge is adjusting to the classes with no friends in there especially because I’m more of an introvert. I think coming to M-A allows me to be an extrovert, branch out to others, not stay in my circle, but connect with other students that I’m not usually talking to. I was nervous about starting here at M-A because I didn’t know anyone in my classes, so I think that is just the most challenging part of the year so far.”

Fears, excitements, expectations, plans for post-high school?

“After high school, I’m planning to major in nursing. I wanted to take two years at CSM [College of San Mateo] with their nursing program, and then transfer out to a state university to finish off there. I wanted to study nursing because my brother is diagnosed with leukemia, and in my family there are a lot of family members who just have diseases or illnesses. Growing up, I was always going to the hospital and it always made me think, ‘What can I do to help my own family or to improve the health community back home in my parents’ homeland [in Tonga]?’”

What’s the most important thing to you right now? 

“My family and my relationship with God. Growing up in Tongan culture, we went to church every Sunday morning, having family prayer every night, youth Friday, and Bible study on Wednesdays. It’s important for me to carry that on as I grow older, not only because I learned that as a little kid, but because it’s always a reminder and a family tradition that I carry to keep my relationship with God. I also want to make sure I maintain my bond with family members. Especially with my brother’s leukemia, I think that has brought my family really close together.”

Fun Facts:

• Ofa’s favorite classes are English––because of Mr. Rosenberg’s energy––as well as Algebra II and Biology.
• Compared to Eastside, Ofa loves it here at M-A. “It’s just a different environment,” she said. “I really love it here. I feel like I have more freedom,  because at Eastside, [school went from] eight to five. Moving to M-A allows me to be in a comfortable zone where I can just express myself freely and understand certain topics in class at my own pace.”
• Ofa’s most-played song is “Four Five Seconds” by Rihanna, Paul McCartney, and Kanye West. 

Brilliant on the football field and in the classroom, senior Xander Eschelman came to M-A in 11th grade from Serra High School. Coming from a long legacy of football players, he is committed to play at Columbia University next year while studying business. He’s excited to experience the final moments of senior year with all the connections he’s made at M-A.

What’s your biggest goal for senior year?

“I have a lot of goals for sports in school, but I’ll say my biggest goal is to have a positive impact at school and be a good leader for the underclassmen. I want to have a positive impact on the people in my grade so they can see me as a positive figure and as someone that they want to be around. I want to be someone that elevates everyone’s mood.” 

Fears, emotions, excitements, and plans for after high school? 

“I’m committed to playing football at Columbia University, and I’m really excited. I’m ready to leave the Bay Area, but I think at some point in my life I’ll definitely come back. I think it will be cool to be somewhere else for a little bit and I’m excited to be in a new place––it’ll be a cool experience to live in a big city. I’m nervous for staying organized though, to be honest, because my mom does a lot of stuff for me.”

What’s the most important thing to you right now?

“My faith and family. My faith is good to stay grounded when you’re doing well and to not get too cocky. And when you’re not going as good, it’s good to pick yourself up and always stay rooted in that.”

Fun Facts:

• Xander lived in Los Angeles until he was six years old before moving to the Bay Area.
• Xander is close with his family, and is the oldest child of three: he has two younger sisters, Ava, who is 16 and a sophomore at M-A, and Emma, who is 12.
• His last text to his mom was asking her if she could bring him a Subway sandwich before football practice. “I always get turkey and ham with everything on. That’s it,” he said. “My favorite sandwiches, though, are from Bob’s Country Corner. I get those a lot.”

Senior Mattea Harris is a force: she’s wise in her reflections on her high school experience and intentional about how she wants to be in the future. She has been an M-A student since freshman year and is a part of the Computer Academy. Mattea also has a goal to heighten her academic focus in preparation for college, where she plans to study graphic design and marketing.

How’s the school year going? From a scale of 1-10, how would you rate it?  

“So far, I would give it a two out of ten because I feel like nothing has really been happening lately. I feel like all the exciting things at school start once October comes. That’s when there’s Spirit Week, the Homecoming game. Also, I feel like I wasn’t thinking as much about my future during junior year, but senior year, I’m really on it, which is stressful right now, especially thinking about which colleges I want to go to, scholarships, grants, all that. So, the first semester is pretty tough, but I think it will get better. I’m really excited about Prom!”

Fears, excitements, expectations for post-high school?

“Being on my own is really scary for me. I’ll have to make my own appointments, and I’m a very antisocial person, so I don’t want to be lonely in college. Living on my own is both a fear and an excitement, just to be able to do what I want with so much freedom. I want to go to college, but I’m just going to see where the wind takes me. I already know I want to major in something related to graphic design or marketing. But we’ll see, because people say that when you go to college, most of the time, people change their majors. San Jose State is my top school right now because I really liked how diverse it is, and the campus looks really nice.”

How are your friendships going?

“This year, I’ve started to realize that who I surround myself with matters. I’ve begun to notice that some people can be bad influences, so I’ve started to distance myself from certain individuals. I really want to get to know myself because I feel like I’ve been influenced by others, and I want to change that this year.”

Fun Facts:

• Her favorite year of high school was sophomore year, when her cousin joined her at M-A and she was able to really get out of her shell.
• Mattea gave her senior year a 2/10 so far. “I feel like nothing has been really happening lately. I’ve been floating through these past days just going to class,” she said. At the time of the interview, Mattea was looking forward to October’s spirit week (which she dressed up for) and other events, like playing Powder Puff.
• Her most-played song of all time is “My Mind” by Jhené Aiko.

Senior Jayden Delafuente’s journey to M-A is the most unusual compared to the rest of the group. Born in California, Jayden moved to Utah in fifth grade, transferring schools twice before coming to M-A in the summer of his sophomore year. He plays as an offensive tackle and defensive end for the football team, and in the off-season, plays rugby for the EPA Razorhawks.

What are the most important things to you right now?

“The most important thing to me right now is winning the state championship for football. Knowing that all of your work culminating throughout the entire year in those 10 games, kind of makes it feel like a reward. You put in everything, and then you get to play against people you don’t know, and get to show what you did in that offseason.”

What are your fears for after graduation? What will you miss the most about high school?

“I’m a little scared of graduating, just because after high school, it’s like the real world where you have to face real life, like rules and stuff––being an adult. I’m gonna miss my friends. After high school, it’s like the end of an era, and I’m just gonna miss that.”

What are your plans for after high school?

“I want to go to CSM and play football there. I’m excited to like play college football––it’s like a new level and expectations, but it’s probably not going to be easy.”

Fun Facts:

• Jayden’s favorite class is Physics. “I like the experiments we do and learning about science,” he said. 
• Jayden’s favorite memory this year was winning their first football game this season against Bellarmine. “I like the feeling of winning––especially against [Bellarmine], because our team has lost to them [in the past],” he said.
• After living in both California and Utah, Jayden prefers it here. “It’s more fun, and the people are nicer here. People in Utah aren’t mean, it’s just that people are more likely to come up and say ‘What’s up?’ to you over here [in California], but in Utah, they’ll just stare at you until you come up to them,” he said.

Senior Angeleah Fayette, who went toTerra Linda Middle School, arrived at M-A knowing almost no one. Since then, she’s grown close with friends and thoroughly involved herself on campus, from participating in AVID (with Yandel), Leadership, and flying with the Service Learning Center to Costa Rica. Simultaneously, Angeleah has held close to her roots and family, planning to continue doing so in college. Her mom and her 14-year-old sister are her best friends, and she wants to study at the University of San Diego to be closer to her brother, who’s a marine stationed nearby.

What’s the best year of high school so far for you?

“Junior year––which is very controversial––but I had six classes that I loved. I also had my favorite class last year, which was APUSH, because I had Ms. Lavoie, who was like my best friend. I’m not joking, she’s literally my bestie. It’s also the year I joined Leadership.”

Do you like school?

“This is also controversial. A lot of people are dreading the first day of school, they’re like, ‘I don’t want to go back,’ but I love it. It’s the best feeling in the world to me––going to your new classes, meeting new teachers, seeing your friends again, being on campus again, and all the back-to-school activities, it’s just the best part of the year.”

What’s your biggest goal for this year?

“I really liked high school and I’m really sad that it’s ending because I just feel like, once I’m out of high school, I’ll feel really old. I just really don’t want to take anything for granted. I want to appreciate every moment.”

Fun Facts:

• Beyond her obsession with TV series Suits, Angeleah wants to be a lawyer to help others. “I find it really interesting,” she said. “I also feel like I care a lot about people, and I want to do something that involves people and have clients that I actually care about.”
• Angeleah is known for being a Swiftie and is able to identify any of Taylor Swift’s  songs within a second.
• Angeleah works at Stanford’s Dining Hall, where she swipes students’ meal cards (her favorite part of the job) and also does the dishes (her least favorite part). 

A swimmer and aspiring architect, Paul has been at M-A since his freshman year. As he’s navigated to find himself and his true interests, Paul has also found more confidence with time. “I love being able to walk around school and feel like, the top dog, even though I’m not the top dog. I feel more confident in senior year, and I take that everywhere I go. Just living that way is so fun and it’s a good way to live,” he said.

How are your friendships going?

“They’re amazing; I love my friends. I would say they all have a very distinct personality. They’re all very loud, which can be hard because you have to be louder, but it just makes every experience I have with them really fun and so enjoyable. I get to interact with them and learn something new every single day just because of how individualistic they are.”

Who was the last person you called? How’s your relationship with you and your family? 

“I called my mom yesterday morning because I woke up feeling dreadful and I called her to call me in sick, so I stayed home and slept. It’s just me and my mom at home, and then we have Luba, who’s our dog and a husky-corgi mix. My mom’s a badass lawyer and I love her to death. My relationship with her is strong just because it’s just me and her, so we’ve had to get along through 17 years.”

What advice would you give to your future self next quarter?

“Ask for a hug. Hugs are the best, and I love hugs. I’ll probably be very stressed then, so [I’ll tell myself to] just ask for a hug from friends and family to get that dopamine and support.”

Fun Facts:

• Paul loves playing board games with his friends on Friday nights. “If you’ve ever heard of Donner Dinner Party, we absolutely destroy that game––we actually eat that game up. We play Telestrations, Scattergories, all different games, and it’s just all of us yelling at each other but also having fun, smiling, chatting, and catching up,” he said. 
• After reading Percy Jackson as a child, Paul felt inspired to study architecture. “I loved the descriptions they used for the buildings from Greek mythology and that time period. Ever since then, each building I see, I notice different qualities about it. It’s grown into this thing where I want to create those buildings,” he said. 
• Paul’s current favorite song is “2008” by Rex Orange County. “I’ve literally listened to it like 10 times in one day,” he said. “The bridge is just so good, and just doesn’t get old for me.”