With only two months left of school, students are getting excited about warmer weather and getting outside, especially the class of 2025. The seniors are preparing to graduate, but this phase brings a mix of emotions: excitement, joy, fear and sadness. As a member of the class of 2025, I can assure you that it’s an exciting, albeit uncertain, time. Nucla’s graduation is on May 17 and Norwood’s on May 24, and the seniors are deciding what they will do next. I’ve been talking to the seniors about their plans and feelings as graduation approaches.
First, I interviewed Mikah Wareham, a senior at Norwood High School. She is relatively new to the area, having moved here during her junior year from Clinton, Missouri. After moving to Norwood, she quickly adjusted to her new life by diving into her studies and taking multiple dual-credit classes. She was also a part of the Pinhead Institute, a Smithsonian affiliate, and spent a summer interning at the Outlaw Equine Rehabilitation and Medical Facility in Decatur, TX. Her summer internship consisted of more than 60-hour weeks, mentoring incoming college interns and working the night shifts. She was offered a full-time summer job and will be headed back to Outlaw before college.
Mikah quickly rose through the academic ranks, and by the end of her senior year has become Norwood’s co-salutatorian, sharing the salutatorian spot with another classmate. After high school she plans to attend West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX and major in agriculture business and economics. Upon graduating from college, Mikah hopes to have crafted a network of resourceful individuals and lined her toolkit with professional skills and communication techniques with a broad horizon to explore all potential opportunities. She intends to return to school to pursue an MBA or business law degree.
“In the future, I am excited to pursue unforeseen experiences and continuously seek growth opportunities,” she said. “I cannot wait to observe the self-development that will arise over the next few years as I progress through my journey of life.”
With a bright future ahead, she is taking steps to ensure she will achieve her dreams.
I also had the pleasure of interviewing Viviana Zuinch, a senior at Nucla High School. Viviana has attended Nucla since kindergarten, and she has been active in many different educational and community programs. She is also a three-sport athlete, participating in volleyball, basketball and track. Viviana is planning to go into the military, specifically the U.S. Army. After she is done with the military, she plans to join law enforcement and become a K-9 handler.
Recently, she had the opportunity to intern with the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office and learned many valuable lessons.
“I’ve always known I wanted to contribute to our community,” she said. “I just didn’t know how.”
But now, she knows how she can help the people around her and her community. Throughout high school, she learned that there will always be ups and downs in life and that independence can be a useful tool.
“I think it’s okay to let people go and be on your own path and have independence, so you can grow yourself into a better person for the community and yourself in general,” she said.
She is excited to create her own life and apply everything that she has learned to the real world. She is very grateful for the West End community, and says she will miss her home, especially her brothers. Nevertheless, she is ready for her next step.
“Change will be for the best, and I'm going to live and learn from everything I do. I am very grateful to have been taught by the teachers at Nucla High School,” she added. Viviana has a bright future ahead of her, and she is ready to learn as she moves forward into her next chapter.
All of the class members of 2025 are getting ready for their next big steps. Mikah and Viviana are just two that are ready for their next big adventure. By learning in the classroom with them and playing on the court with these two seniors, I have no doubt in my mind that they will be successful wherever life takes them.
