TEENS TELL ALL What’s it like to be a high schooler today? AI couldn’t tell us, so we asked 11 rising seniors from around the county instead. Here’s what they said. BY RITA GUARNA
Everyone who’s been to high school knows that seniors rule the roost. As for those who are about to be seniors, their confidence can be unsettling. “In 10 years,” declares one student, “I hope to see myself in the operating room, administering anesthesia.” But in today’s world of academic pressure, social pressure and a job market evidently about to be gobbled up by artificial intelligence, confidence isn’t all you hear when you listen to a group of teens talk candidly in depth about their lives and expectations. You
MODERATOR: Rita Guarna, Editor In Chief, BERGEN Magazine
also hear fear. Says one: “They kind of throw us off the cliff and expect us to make our own parachute.” BERGEN doesn’t cover everything when each year we interview a group of high schoolers. And our group is no statistical sample. Our chosen students are leaders—in the classroom, on the playing field, in activities and in the community. In fact, where they find time and energy for their dizzying range of pursuits is a terrifying mystery. But these are good, articulate kids. And except for one maddening conversational tic they all seem to share, we really, like, like them.
OUR FORUM MEMBERS: From left: Julien Santos, North Arlington High School, Maya Naltner, River Dell High School, Michael Dottino, New Milford High School, Sara Persampieri, Waldwick High School, Shawn Philip, Paramus High School, Julia Ingrasselino, Mahwah High School, Anthony Buttacavole, Lodi High School, Jenna Korteling, Hasbrouck Heights High School, Rose Dooley, Academy of the Holy Angels, Malia Hamilton, Immaculate Heart Academy, Viana Mattson, Park Ridge High School.
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7/16/26 3:24 PM