The Power of Choice

Ideally, every high school student eventually becomes a senior in high school. This time in a student’s life is filled with an incredible amount of options, possibilities and decisions. It is the final milestone of a primary education, after which are numerous paths for a student to take, each filled with their own twists, turns and discoveries. But making students aware of their choices is imperative — this is where the Senior Exit Project (SEP) comes in.

The choices students make in their senior year significantly impact the rest of their lives; as such, it is imperative that the student knows they have these options available to them. All too often, a student goes through high school unaware that, later in life, they can go to college and have a successful and fulfilling career of their choice. Therefore, it is important for teachers to make this choice as clear and evident as possible — it's just as important teaching subjects such as Math and English. Being taught these standard subjects provides the information and knowledge to be successful. Being shown the choices students have gives them a map and a compas, helping guide them to the best place to utilize this knowledge.

I personally started my senior year with a vague idea as to what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I wanted to go to a college, preferably a university, but knew very little about what to study. The most prominent idea in my head at the time was architecture, but I had an indefinite concept of what that really entailed. At this point, I decided I needed to make a game plan for my future. My first step was to decide what kind of career I wanted, so I utilized the SEP to research what it really means to be an architect through shadowing. While there may be disdain from other members of the senior class, I truly believe that this experience has given me fantastic insight into the field of architecture. Without SEP, I feel I might have blindly gone into college, knowing only that I wanted to be an architect, but not what that position entails. SEP is an interesting tool; it is heralded as a way to make sure seniors are up to par before graduating, but it more effectively serves as an opportunity for a student to explore a particular choice for the future. By providing this project, the school makes the future more realistic and tangible for students, providing them with insight as to the choices available.

After my completion of SEP, and more research of my own, I determined that being an architect is most likely not the choice for me. For my AP Government class, our teacher assigned us reading over the summer of senior year; a book called Economic Facts and Fallacies by Thomas Sowell. At first, I was apprehensive of spending my precious summer vacation reading up on my economic theory, but after I found that I had nothing better to do, I gave it a shot. I soon found myself immersed in its content, and today find myself listed as an Economics major at the University of Arizona.

The best thing a teacher can provide for a student is opportunities. Without opportunities for exploration of choice, a student goes forward in life blinded, unable to find the best path for them. Even events that seem insignificant, like assigning a class reading, can have profound implications on choice, should the student let it do so.

Author bio: CJ Nieto is a student at Empire High School who once aspired to become a Paranormal Investigator.