High school seniors are counting down the days till graduation, which is now just a few weeks away. With the big day approaching, some Temple High school seniors are sharing their plans for the future.
Some people know from an early age exactly what they want to do but others aren’t sure, and that’s okay. However, matter what students plan on doing after their diploma, Temple High teachers and staff are making sure they will be successful.
For many, college is the plan after high school.
"I just fell in love with it I just thought wow this is where I need to be,” said Austin Madsen, after he visited the campus of Texas A&M.
Madsen will be an Aggie in the fall studying biology, with the plan to become a doctor, following in his grandfather's footsteps. His nervousness weighing just as much as his excitement.
"I'm excited because I'll be on my own and I'll be able to see how I would be in the real world you know, and just to put myself out there and try new things but it’s also kind of scary at the same time,” said Madsen.
However, jumping right into college isn’t for everyone. Some of his classmates are choosing to serve our country.
Jaiden Cuevas, a Temple High Senior said "I’m going to join the Air Force, hopefully in the next couple of months."
Cuevas said after seeing his brother's experience with the Air Force, he decided to enlist.
"I saw what he did and how well they treated him and like all the benefits and stuff you get for it. So, all of that kind of pushed me towards it."
His classmate Salia Ordaz is also planing to the military.
"I’ll be in the army for eight years. I plan on doing 20 years until I retire, I’ll be 10 years active duty 10 years reserved,” said Salia Ordaz, a Temple High Senior.
Cuevas and Ordaz are a part of the 49% of high school graduates to enter the armed forces after high school. Both have long-term goals of pursuing higher education.
Ordaz already making plans to pursue her doctorate degree. She said, "While I'm in the Military I'll be studying to get my Juris Doctorate that way I can get out in those 10 years and start my business as an immigration lawyer."
Then there are folks like Kwinton Footman who get hands-on training in technical fields like welding, through the Wildcat Workforce Program at Temple High. Footman is heading to Texas State Technical College.
Footman said, "At TSTC there’s going to be a lot of grown men there that don’t know how to weld and I’m happy that I got to experience here and learn how to do the basics so I can take somewhere."
Denise Ayres Director of Career and Technical Education at Temple High said the world is their oyster.
"Our world is really the size of their experiences and the more experiences that we can provide students the more options they know they have. The more we expose students to choices the more opportunity they have to be able to find their strengths and when students find their strengths define success," said Ayres.
These students are counting down the days till graduation, but are glad to know they've been set up to succeed.
