06.09.14
Other Plans
Some seniors choose not to go to college after they graduate from high school. Here are some of their other plans. STORY BY KATIE MCPHERSON
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week from now, seniors, many of whom have gone to San Dieguito Academy for four years, will graduate. The vast majority of them, over 98 percent according to the 2013 senior exit survey, will attend some type of college this fall. They’ll go to classes, live in dorms, and forge a routine. But a select few, those who mark that they have “other plans” in the senior exit survey, won’t be going to college. Their futures are often uncertain and not set in stone, but something they’ve wanted to do for a while. Nicholas Jones knew when he was 14 that he wanted to become a professional MMA fighter. “I watched a lot of Bruce Lee with my father and I was really interested in fighting,” said Jones. His ultimate goal is to make it to the UFC where “the big money is.” To achieve this goal Jones is going to “train every day.” Sam Lamirand, who helped the SDA surf team win first place at the state championships and is sponsored by multiple organizations, is going to surf on the Women’s World Tour for a year and then try to qualify for the Women’s World Qualifying Series. “I need to take advantage of my youth and athletic abilities,” said Lamirand. “College is always going to be there.” Edgar Salinas wants to travel the world as part of a church program. “I felt like I needed a little break. I’ve been in school for a while and I kind of want to swing it and have fun and live the good life,” said Salinas. All of these students said that the decision to not go to college was actually pretty easy. “As soon as I went to the gym and started sparring it was just like, ‘I want to do this,’” said Jones. “It wasn’t a difficult decision. I knew forever that I didn’t want to go to college,” said Lamirand. However, she said not going to college was a bit stressful because everyone else was doing it. “I’m afraid I’m going to be missing out, not on the college experience – I don’t really care about that, but just kind of going with the flow of everyone else, so it’s kind of that nervous part of breaking away from everyone,” said Lamirand.
Sam Lamirand rides a wave. Photo by George Stimson.
Eli Brown
Josh Herz, Calvin Borchers
Rafael Swit
Brendan Walsh
Nicholas Jones performs a choke. Photo courtesy of Nicholas Jones.
Salinas agreed that “overthinking stuff” made him stressed, but that he’d “been wanting to do it for a while.” “I just woke up one morning and I was like ‘yeah dude sounds sick,’” said Salinas. Lamirand and Salinas both plan attending a college later, but Jones, who plans on a career in the MMA, said his backup plan for not getting in the UFC would be “to be a teacher in Japan.” College isn’t the only option for seniors, said PALs instructor and counselor Ann Nebolon. “What we encourage with kids is that they have a plan whatever it may be,” she said. “A good plan can even be stopping school and working for a while. It can be going and exploring another interest.” Despite this, the students said they are often faced by surprised peers when they reveal that their plans for the immediate future don’t involve college. “Kids around my age or around our generation, they’re really shocked about it and like ‘woah, that’s kind of sketchy,’” said Lamirand. However, she said adults often express jealousy. Said Lamirand, “Know what you want to do and don’t regret anything.” Salinas had similar advice: “It’s just a lifestyle. You just got to wing it and you got to live the life you want to live and have fun doing it.” Whatever their reasons, these SDA seniors chose a drastically different path than most, but perhaps what they gain from the next few years of their lives can’t be found in a classroom. “I hope to gain money for one,” chuckled Jones. He continued that he also wants to gain “more of a responsibility through training and discipline.” “I want to get to know a different community and maybe learn a different language too and help people,” said Salinas. Lamirand had a simple goal: “I gain my self-actualization. My own happiness.”
Janine Fischer
Jack Boyce, Angéle Meunier
Jamie Sebastian
Mark Kaplan