2022-05-24-senior

In the little office between Harms and Ziemer’s room.

Underneath Mrs. Nahra’s desk! Phenomenal place, phenomenal person, phenomenal atmosphere.

10/10 would recommend.

In Madame Juhl’s classroom before school .

Bathroom in the main hallway.

Sometimes in plain sight with your head down is the only way to go.

The bathroom by the auditorium.

BEST PLACES TO CRY

break up with you? No matter the cause of your despair, the WSS seniors have you covered. Here are our favorite places to cry at West.

COMPLIED BY HELEN ZHANG

Ms. Whittaker’s office.

The library.

The journalism podcast room is the perfect place to cry: semi-isolated, door locked from the outside so no one can walk in, corner not visible from the window so no one can see you sobbing.

Backstage of the auditorium.

ART BY ZOEY GUO

DESIGN BY ZOEY GUO & XIAOYI ZHU

In the corner of a practice room, with the light off and the door locked.

FESS UP

The silly, the heartfelt, and the outright illegal …

WSS presents the Class of 2022’s senior confessions.

COMPILED BY MISHA CANIN DESIGN BY ZOEY GUO

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I’ve been calling myself out of school for the past two years, making up appointments, headaches, “my mom’s voice” ... I think the office knows but just doesn’t care.

x I have skipped class but never to do anything cool, just to read Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poetry in my car. It calms me down.

Me and an ex-boyfriend have kissed the same girl, and now neither one of us talk to her.

I gave this guy a Valentine’s Day note and he laughed at it right in front of me and asked why on earth I thought he ever liked me. It hurt.

I am a male, and I’ve pooped several times in the women’s bathroom when the men’s was locked or full.

I had a crush on a teacher.

Hereonto is some is some I used to sneak the text roofhere of the textlunch here until is some here is building to eat thetext school some here some text started locking thetext door toisget there.

I once, on a dare, spent a night sleeping in the West High auditorium.

I stole my teacher’s scissors, went to the empty classroom next door with my computer camera and cut full bangs into the sink.

I’ve been parking in the front teacher’s lot all year.

I self-reported A’s on all my AP Calc BC take-home tests despite utterly failing some. Still got a 5.

I may or may not have embezzled funds intended for the pit orchestra [concessions].

Covid so thoroughly ruined my work ethic that I have not studied for a test in over two years.

I have never read a single book for English in my four years here.

I was ghosted by a junior.

SENIOR MAY 24, 2022

42

1.1%

7.9% 17.2% 37.4% 44%

25.8% 81.7% 66.3%

3.3% 15.4%

1-3 hours

12+ hours

Democratic

4-6 hours

7-11 hours

Republican

What was the longest time you have spent studying for a test in one day?

What is your sexual orientation?

Other

9th 10th 11th 12th

Will you miss West after graduating?

Asexual

YES

4.3% Bi/Pan Gay/Lesbian

NO

Straight 10.9%

MAY 24, 2022

Are you excited for your post-graduate plans?

7.5% 25.8% 48.4% 18.3%

COMPILED BY SOOMIN KOH

41 SENIOR

Sort of

Which year of school was the hardest?

DESIGN BY XIAOYI ZHU

18.5%

Yes No

What is your political

SENIOR SURVEY 4.3%

Other

62%

MAYBE

57% 12.9% 30.1%

How long was your longest relationship?

The library

A classroom

The sports facilities

The hallway areas The music rooms The bathroom

3.3%

3.3%

Always single

16.3%

12%

Six months to one year

23.9%

26.1%

One to six months

6.5%

One year to two years

20.7%

Less than a month

20.7%

18.5%

6.5%

37% 5.4%

More than two years

The cafeteria

Where is your favorite place to be at West?

89.2% 78.5%

No, 37.6%

72%

Yes, 62.4%

39.8% 30.1% 25.8%

If you were offered $1 million, would you relive your four years at West?

6.5%

HAVE YOU EVER...

None of the below

Yes, 35.6% No, 64.4%

Were you sexually active in high school?

No, 17.2%

Vaped Smoked

Yes, 83.8%

Got drunk Skipped class Cheated on a test Copied someone’s homeworks

Have you had a job in high school?

SENIOR MAY 24, 2022

40

CHANGE OF PLANS West High seniors look back to their freshman year and share how their post-graduation plans have changed since entering high school.

TALYIA OCHOLA: Pilot Training “When I entered high school, I was gonna do neurosurgery; that was what I had my heart set on, and I did a lot of classes to focus on that. As I got to senior year, I decided eight years of school after high school was not the move, so now we’re gonna go to Florida and become a pilot.”

YOLONDA AUSTIN: Social Work ”From 7th grade - 10th grade I planned to attend a college closer to home to major in Interior Design, but during 11th grade I changed my plans to attend Norfolk State University (16 hours away) to study Social Work.“

HUNTER SHOOK: Naval Aviation

39 SENIOR

MAY 24, 2022

“I planned on an in-state school with a simple degree, however, I never felt excited by it. The summer before junior year, I saw a fighter pilot demonstration team slicing through the air at the speed of sound, and I had a complete mental realignment. I wanted to go to the US Naval Academy: a place nobody would consider fun; however, this challenge is what drew me in.”

BY MIGUEL COHEN SUAREZ DESIGN BY XIAOYI ZHU

CLAY Bopp: Photojournalism & Theater “Going into high school, I wanted to do engineering or architecture. I took a PLTW class, and I didn’t like it very much. Then last summer, I went to Alaska and did a bunch of nature photography. My next engineering course was canceled, so I had an open spot and thought, ‘I could go into journalism and pursue nature photography.’ I went from architecture to now majoring in photojournalism and theater.”

CLARE LOUSSAERT: Gap Year “During senior year I realized how burnt out I was. I found an AmeriCorps position in Austin, TX tutoring kids to read Spanish; I decided to take that job and defer my start at Iowa for a year. If you would’ve told freshman me I was going to Iowa AND taking a gap year, I would’ve been disappointed.

However, I am very content and excited at the idea of getting this experience outside of school.”

MAYOWA DOKUN: Pre-med in Iowa “I’m still gonna go to college to go pre-med, but I always thought I’d be living in the South, and now I’m probably going to Iowa, which I never thought would happen.

No one’s ever heard of Iowa. I also thought I’d play volleyball in college; that didn’t happen.“

D1 ATHLETES

Ten athletes will continue to compete in their respective sports at the Division 1 level next year.

COMPILED BY HANAH KITAMOTO

Hunter Garvin

Robert Avila UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA (WRESTLING)

STANFORD UNIVERSITY (WRESTLING)

Liam Becher UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA (FOOTBALL)

Bailey Libby UNIVERSITY OF IOWA (GYMNASTICS)

Scarlet Martin UNIVERSITY OF IOWA (SWIMMING)

Olivia Taeger UNIVERSITY OF IOWA (ROWING)

PHOTOS

BY OWEN AANESTAD

Alex McKane IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY (XC/TRACK)

Makenna Vonderhaar UNIVERSITY OF IOWA (SOCCER) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOSH KIDMAN, OLIVIA TAEGER AND BAILEY LIBBY

Katherine Kouba UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE (VOLLEYBALL)

Grant O’Dell BELLARMINE UNIVERSITY (WRESTLING)

DESIGN BY KAILEY GEE

SENIOR

MAY 24, 2022

38

SENIOR SUPERLATIVES PHOTOS BY CAROLINE BARKER

for wss senior staffers

DESIGN BY KAILEY GEE

Most likely to unexpectedly be wanted in 17 different countries

Most likely to build the coolest Minecraft house

Most likely to fight the Rock and win

Most likely to be a pro streamer Most likely to befriend a squirrel Most likely to go bald at a young age

Most likely to publish a book on grammar

37 SENIOR

MAY 24 , 2022

ADDITIONAL PHOTO

BY JAY MASCARDO

Most likely to overdose on boba

Most likely to evade the FBI

most likely to write a poem for every person in the world

Most likely to be a contestant on “Is It Cake?”

Most likely to secretly be a philosopher who travels in time Most likely to live in a SECRET location with 20 adopted gay KIDS

Most likely to be a foreign correspondent

Most likely to become a travel vlogger

Most likely to run away to live in a cottage in the woods

Most likely to do caricatures as a side job

Most likely to become a popular video essayist

Most likely to take over the world from the inside out SENIOR MAY 24, 2022

36

DESIGN BY CAROLINE MASCARDO

TIMSC Life can be told in acronyms, like the title of this senior column: “This Is My Senior Column” (TIMSC for short). Even though my four years at West were anything but short, I will try to keep this senior column brief by using acronyms.

WSS — West Side Story. No doubt the best activity to be involved in at West High. So many memories were made in Room 111 with some of the most hard-working and funniest people I’ve met. I would’ve never hated the Oxford comma or learned how to get out of my comfort zone and do interviews with strangers if it weren’t for journalism.

LCMLOLSM — Literally Crying From Laughing Out Loud So Much. I am sorry to anyone who witnessed me crying from laughing over something that probably wasn’t even that funny.

HSIABRC — High School Is A Broken Roller Coaster. From wiping away tears while do-

ing pre-calc homework to sharing laughs with friends during lunch, there really isn’t anything predictable about high school. Absolutely nothing might go your way, but things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.

ICSETY — I Cannot Say Enough Thank You’s.

Thank you to Craig and the athletic department for answering all my questions and hanging out with me on the sidelines during sport events.

Thank you, Byron, for letting me eat lunch in your room. And of course, thank you to everyone on the WSS staff and Sara for being the highlight of my day. The newsroom was a place I always looked forward to being every single day because of you all.

DLYBIYCOEIWGS — Don’t Leave Your Backpack In Your Car Or Else It Will Get Stolen. (I learned this the hard way). IYKYK. TTFN (Ta-Ta For Now), HK

ROCKY WATERS To the naïve, anxious, freshman Zoey who was deathly terrified of the peering eyes of others, prioritized a singular letter grade over all of their emotional necessities, and had sadly trudged through the majority of their life with no purpose — you would be so, so unbelievably proud of who you are now.

Four years ago, you couldn’t see yourself living long enough to graduate high school. You even shocked yourself when you made it through middle school (mostly) unscathed. It’s unbearable to deal with those discouraging, impulsive thoughts in your head, huh?

Trust me, I know, but you’re okay now.

You’re not alone anymore. In fact, you’re surrounded by the sweetest people who love your whole being: your personality, your soul and your flaws.

And now, you finally have an idea of what living truly looks like and what it should be.

35 SENIOR

MAY 24, 2022

Life isn’t about doing what’s expected of you or what will please others. It’s a common trap to fall into, nourishing only off of the praise and material accomplishments you make, but this is only a temporary replacement for a sense of fulfillment. True success and gratification can only come from doing things that make you happy.

The process of changing from a mechanical automaton to a self-sufficient, passionate and lively individual has taught me that you have so much more power in modifying your future than you’d expect. Instead of subjecting yourself to the dull, rhythmic school bells and gluing your eyes to some foreign variables and expressions, use this time to meet up with an old friend, explore downtown Iowa City or go on an impulsive road trip instead. Heck, it doesn’t have to be extravagant — just make sure to take some time for yourself, whether it’s in the company of others or not.

Thank you, West High, for helping me discover who I am and who I want to be. Thank you for teaching me that I deserve to be loved by others and, most importantly, myself.

PUZZLER FOR LIFE For as long as I can remember, my mom has loved to assemble puzzles on the coffee table in our living room. To me, she’s a puzzle master.

And her secret? Taking lots of breaks. She tells me that time helps all the pieces come together.

“Take a step away, then come back to it,” she says. “You can see the bigger picture that way.”

Although not a puzzle whiz like my mom, I’d consider myself a puzzle enthusiast in a different way — if my understanding of the world is a puzzle, then each unique experience and person I meet is a puzzle piece. My life puzzle is far from complete, but my time in high school has allowed me to see how my experiences relate to my puzzle as a whole, the seemingly unrelated parts of my story slowly fitting into place.

I’d describe the first-half-of-high-school me as a planner of sorts. I came to high school with an elaborate itinerary to find “success:” I’d win an unprecedented number of titles on the speech team, take every AP course at West High, become president of student government, and es-

tablish world peace while I was at it … or something like that.

After quitting Speech and Debate on three separate occasions, neglecting to take any AP course that requires a decent amount of math, and seeing Student Senate dissolve (and rebuild), I can assure you that things never really turn out the way you expect them to, and that’s okay.

I joined the school newspaper, started boxing lessons, met people who changed how I saw myself and the world, and learned that perfection is an impossible standard. The list goes on.

To my younger self: think of high school more as a puzzle of self-discovery rather than a trip you must plan meticulously. Although the journey I took during my four years at West High bares little resemblance to what I imagined as a freshman, I wouldn’t change a thing.

To my future self: I look forward to reading this later and seeing how far I’ve come since the end of senior year, acquiring new pieces of my puzzle

SHOUTOUT

and putting them together with the old.

To anyone out there trying to assemble a more complete understanding of their puzzle: seek challenges and grow from them. Time and self-reflection will help you make sense of your story.

I’m still puzzled how these four years flew by so quickly, but for now, piece out, West High.

I had no clue what joining West Side Story would be like, but, looking back, it was by far one of the best decisions I have ever made. From sideline to baseline, it has been a dream to rep the green and gold alongside covering Trojan athletics for West Side Story athletics. Sorry if I ever posted a not-so-becoming picture of you — trust me, it wasn’t on purpose.

Thank you to Sara and everyone on staff over the years for allowing me to work alongside some of the most hard-working and creative people I have ever met.

To all the teachers and people who still don’t know, the guy with long hair at the end of the art hallway, yeah, that’s my dad. And if I still haven’t sent you that Google Photos album, don’t ask.

- The Most Punchable Face in Journalism

Four years ago, I walked into what used to be the dark and damp newsroom with my camera and the hopes to make it big in the world of West High athletics alongside the legendary Joe Goodman. Every day during Foundations of Journalism, I would make my way into the newsroom in search of one thing — a cookie from the box that sat in the newsroom.

Shoutout to Grace Christopher: some might say it was the only reason I kept coming to journalism. Just kidding.

Shoutout to Craig Huegel: I’ve never felt so cool walking into every sporting event at West High without paying.

Finally, shoutout to that one girl from Cedar Falls, forever and always my number one competitor.

NOT LIKE THE MOVIES Soon, I’ll be living 1,885.3 miles away from where I’ve lived since I was born.

Even though I’ll be physically far away, I want to leave some wisdom here so it can be trapped in these pages for you to take with you.

Here’s the thing: high school is a movie. It’s an action, drama, romance, and thriller movie where the 15-18-year-olds are played by 35-yearolds with fully formed frontal lobes and five o’clock shadows. Your inner monologue is exposed in a voice-over on a montage of time passing, and — most importantly — this movie is the most important movie you’ll ever live

through in your whole entire life.

All jokes aside, over the last four years, I’ve learned how important it is to breathe, to relax.

Don’t put so much pressure on how your life compares to movies, TV shows and songs about high school. While you’re in the thick of it, it can feel like these four years will determine what the rest of your life will be, but they don’t have to; it can feel like these have to be the best years you’ve lived yet, but they don’t have to be. I know I haven’t graduated just yet, but being so close to a life beyond high school has opened my eyes to how much more there is to live. I don’t think anyone leaves high school as the same person they were when they began high school, and I encourage you to see the beauty in that.

SENIOR MAY 24, 2022

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DECISIONS, DECISIONS

It seems like only yesterday I was braving my first day of high school. Terrified freshman me spent that day tripping up the stairs, convinced I wouldn’t make any friends. I remember coming home exhausted and dreading the coming days of this new era.

As it turned out, high school was more survivable than I expected. I managed to pass my classes, meet people that became best friends and find a place in the newspaper.

Of course, I’ve been below my peak. Waiting until the day before my essays were due to write them and running late to almost every first period I’ve had were not my best moments. Don’t forget, it’s normal to not always be on top of things.

From picking your classes to committing to a college, there are many decisions to make in high school. Procrastination was a poorer one

of mine.

There are some decisions I’m still not sure were the right ones, like taking APUSH (*shudder*) or never attempting to design for WSS (InDesign is scary, okay?). I can ask endless “What if…?” questions about the paths I could have taken.

Luckily, there are decisions that I am so glad I made, like joining the improv club, applying for the position of columns editor and asking for help when I needed it.

I’m definitely not one of those “cool” seniors that younger me hoped to be. My past four years of life could even be considered boring. However, I’ve made one more decision to finish the year: to accept that I didn’t have the teenage experience the movies told me I was supposed to. I won’t worry about my time in high school being wasted, because I have the rest of my life to make the right decisions.

EL OH EL. Ah, Kailey, how you love the past. You’d think with how much you reflect on it that you’d be excited to write this column, but here we are, having an existential crisis. I know you’re a planner. Yes, I see that 8-year-plan document and that “List of all of the things I’ve done, ever” that you dreamed would give you some semblance of meaning and worth. So it’s going to freak you out when I tell you that we have absolutely no plan for what we’re doing with our life.

I will tell you this, though: these days, you don’t need arbitrary achievements to define your worth (although they can be nice sometimes, future Iowa Journalist of the Year). You’ve learned to follow your passions despite the path to reaching them being unclear. And, you’ve actually felt real pure joy. Like normal people. Like people that haven’t been depressed since they

came out of the womb. AND you did it by yourself, no outside factors necessary. Of course, the world is sticks and poo and piss and worms, so we’re not at that level of self-actualization right now, but I’m going to get you back there — TRUST. We’ve grown so much since then. Again though, I’m not going to lie. Some things really haven’t changed. For example, we’ve still got great taste in music, but we’re still working on not watching the red flags get redder. I hope you’re following your dreams which currently have whittled down to the ever-disappointing “I-want-to-help-make-change-but-there-are-

so-few-ways-to-do-so-in-a-capitalist-system”.

Good luck figuring that one out, and never stop growing, kiddo.

TITLE: WE’LL WORRY ABOUT THAT LATER

33 SENIOR

MAY 24, 2022

You’d think that after four years I’d finally get over my procrastination and learn how to manage my time, but here I am writing this hours before the deadline … classic me <3.

High school at a glance: freshman year, I was hit with the realization that tests were now every week, not month; sophomore year, I found out that homework can actually be hard and require thinking; junior year, I accepted that I was, in fact, not a genius and needed to actually study for tests (thanks pre-calc); and senior year I realized that I never truly learned anything, I just memorized stuff. Looking back, I really just LOL-ed my way through high school. People always say, “Look at the bright side!” but I look at the funny side. If I can meme-ify it when it’s over, then it can’t be that bad. It’s probably all in my head.

One thing West High really engraved into

my brain was to never settle for average. Well, that was a mindset that I pretty much already had growing up —I mean I tried to skip a math class three times before freshman year #epicfail.

However, my four years here have continuously provided me with resources to take my academic journey to the next step. Of course, the higher I climbed, the more the fall would hurt, so I tried not to stumble.

They say junior year is the hardest, and yeah sure, that’s probably true. But you know what’s harder? Doing P.E. for the first time since eighth grade. That was quite embarrassing. So if you don’t plan on being a nerd and packing your schedule all four years, you better start working out this summer because that mile run test probably shouldn’t be taking 15 minutes.

Yeah that’s it. You’re welcome.

STAYING AFLOAT If I swam outside the circle of my father’s arms, I would drown. I knew this because I was an educated 5-year-old, and educated 5-year-olds know that life jackets are useless without the magical powers of a father’s arms. But my dad always reminded me that strength means nothing without fear, and so the day he let go of me for the first time, I took a big breath and held it, sure it would be the last time I ever saw him.

I lived.

The courage I gained from this heart-wrenching … no, I’m just kidding. Don’t worry, this column is not a dramatic retelling of how learning that a life jacket worked without my father’s presence set me up for all the scary things I would encounter in high school.

Well, it sort of is.

Not because of the fact that I faced my fears on that fateful July morning, but because it was on that day that I learned diving right in was what was best for me in all aspects of my life.

When everything feels too overwhelming to

continue (like don’t-even-know-where-to-start, crawl-into-bed overwhelmed) ‘going for it’ is the only cure I’ve discovered. When I can’t look back, I’m forced to keep going until the end.

Whether it be throwing myself into theatre, journalism, or planning a school event for a club that I’ve never personally been involved in, the busier I am, the more productive I’m forced to become.

Another reminder my dad always gave me was to have fun.

Crippled with anxiety about your calculus test the next day?

“Just go in there and have a good time, Mish!”

Rejected from the school you spent the last 10 years hyper-focused on receiving an acceptance?

“Pick a new school and enjoy exploring it!”

Anyways, you get the idea. *rolls eyes* So now, 13 years later, I’m ready to jump into my next adventure, without a life jacket this time (hopefully), and have some fun. See you soon, Los Angeles!

LIMITED EDITION This senior column is my first piece of writing for the WSS — ever. Limited Edition.

Looking back on my four years of high school,

the only expression that comes to my mind is “oop.” Oop for my freshman year, when I was in the Speech and Debate Club and spent an average of four hours every day writing cases. Time management and prioritizing are excellent skills to learn, guys.

Oop for my sophomore year, when I took pre-calculus honors with the legendary Mrs. Walker — I seriously underestimated the difficulty of the class.

Oop for my junior year, when I continuously slept past my morning classes when we were online. Also, a mem-

ory that haunts me at night was when I forgot to mute myself and watched a mukbang video of someone slurping ramen. The final oop is for my attendance this year. I was unfortunately diagnosed with senioritis very early on, and it has gradually worsened. Don’t worry, though ...

The doctors said my sickness will magically get cured on May 24.

Even though I’ve had a lot of oop’s, there were several highlights that I cherish: attending debate tournaments with my best friends, traveling with the orchestra to Disney right before the COVID-19 outbreak, and becoming a Wanand disciple. Before I officially log off, I want to thank my lovely friends that always crack me up. I also want to acknowledge the teachers that took on the challenge to pronounce my name.

To the people that ask me why I don’t have an English name, it’s because it prevents teachers from calling on me during class. For one last time, West High, my name is Xiaoyi (Shao-E).

SENIOR MAY 24, 2022

32

E S NI

ORFU

TU R ES West’s 54th graduating class looks to what’s after the cap and gown.

COMPLIED BY RUBA AHMED-ABDELMUTALAB ART & DESIGN BY GRACE HUANG

A Owen Aanestad: I plan on attending Iowa State University and major in advertising.

Laurent Aaron Ahmed Abbas Tony Abdel-Malek Shuhd Abdulla: I am going to Kirkwood and am majoring in pharmacy.

Boaz Abramoff Thayer Abu-Hijleh Aisha Abukasawi Mohamed Abukasawi Ahmed Adam Shelby Adamiec Peter Adams: I plan on attending Iowa State University to study chemical engineering.

Cade Adkins Mazin Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Mohammed Bdreldin Ahmed Ruba Ahmed-Abdelmutalab: I’m attending Northwestern University and majoring in chemical engineering.

Sara Alaya: I plan on attending University of Iowa to study economics.

Yusef Alaya Aasiya Ali Aceel Ali: I plan on attending University of Iowa and majoring in fine arts.

Mazin Ali Mohamed Ali Andrea Alvarado Jasper Anderson Mason Applegate Arely Sofia Arias-Turcios Babu Aryal Amna Asadalla Homan Asadi Yolonda Austin: I plan on attending Norfolk State University and majoring in social work.

Robert Avila: I will be attending the University of Virginia to continue wrestling and major in business.

B Mohamed Babiker Emma Bach: I plan on attending the University of Iowa and majoring in elementary education and minoring in dance.

Djenabou Balde

Caroline Barker: I’m attending UC Santa Barbara and majoring in sociology.

Emma Barker: I plan on attending Skidmore College in New York and majoring in some sort of combination of music, theater, education and history.

Emma Barker Cosi Barry: I plan on attending the University of Cincinnati and majoring in fashion design.

Joey Bartelme Christian Bartlett Zenab Bashir Benjamin Bass Liam Becher: I’m attending the University of North Dakota to play football and major in rehabilitation and human services.

Aiden Behounek Emily Beltran: I plan to take a gap year but eventually major in linguistics.

Emerson Bennett Timothy Bergal Akhil Bharanidhar Caleb Bodin: I plan on attending the University of Iowa to study business.

Clayton Bopp: I plan on attending the University of Colorado Boulder and double majoring in journalism and technical theatre.

Kaylen Brackett: I plan on attending the University of Northern Iowa with intentions to study childhood education with a minor in music education.

Piper Brady Rhys Brauns Gravin Brown Ella Bruzek Sahla Budr Peter Burer Kiley Butcher: I plan on attending Kirkwood Community College and go through their nursing program.

C

Jade Calderon Samuel Callahan Misha Canin: I currently plan on attending UCLA and majoring in neuroscience. #girlbossesinSTEM Logan Caracciolo Warren Carpenter Tremeice Carter Salome Caruthers Olivia Casebolt: I plan on attending Grand Canyon University and majoring in forensic science.

Madeline Caylor Luca Chackalackal

Gary Chen Jonathan Chen WIlliam Chen: I plan on attending UCLA and majoring in computer science.

David Chigorogo Jordan Christensen Emma Christopher: I plan on attending Loyola University Chicago and double majoring in environmental science and chemistry.

Elec Ciha-Soults: I plan on going to the Air Force.

Claude Clark Jack Clark Miles Clark Miguel Cohen Suarez: I’m majoring in chemistry with a focus on Watching Basketball and environmental science at Duke University.

Christopher Colgan John Conrads Leonidas Contreras Velasquez Wren Copple: I plan on attending Puget Sound University and majoring in English.

Carmen Crabtree: I plan on attending the University of Iowa and majoring in psychology.

Jack Crawford Samantha Croco: I’m planning on attending Syracuse University to get a BFA in musical theatre.

Nora Crowe Aidan Crowell Lydia Cui: I plan on attending the University of Virginia in the nursing program.

Abigail Cupp: I plan on attending the University of Iowa and majoring in biomedical sciences.

Alexandra Curtu: I plan on attending the University of Pennsylvania and majoring in business economics & public policy at the Wharton School of Business.

D

Jada Dachtler: I am playing soccer at St. Cloud State University and doing a double major in marketing and graphic design.

Sophie Dahlstorm Inikka Dalton Aidan Daly Sandrea Dancy: I plan on attending Kirkwood Community College and marjoring in early childhood education.

Miles Davies: I plan on attending Iowa State University as an engineering major.

Alina Davis: I am attending Belmont SENIOR MAY 24, 2022

30

University studying sports medicine.

Ava Davis Drake Davis: I am enlisted in the Air Force and will be going to a selection course for Special Warfare Pararescue.

Nakeisha De Leon Gonzalez Noah DeSaulniers Payton DeVena Leah Dillon: I plan on attending Drake University and majoring in marketing.

Mayowa Dokun: I plan on attending the University of Iowa and majoring in biology.

Anna Dreusicke: I plan on attending University of Kansas and majoring in biology.

Emma Dunlap: I will attend the University of Iowa, majoring in psychology.

E

Cole Eberly: I plan on playing golf at Mount Mercy University.

Liam Edberg: I plan on attending Luther College.

Grant Eden Hafiza El-Zein Nisreen Elgaali Razaz Elhassan Basel Elhindi Bilalle Elola Mohsen Eltahir August Elwell Elijah Eskridge

F

Razey Fahal Samantha Falduto: I plan on attending Grinnell College and majoring in either linguistics or sociology.

Luke Fasse: I plan on attending the University of Arizona and majoring in chemistry.

Keenai Fender Miranda Feng Isaac Fletcher: I’m planning to attend the University of Iowa.

Galilea Flores Sadie Floss: I’m attending Iowa State University.

Peyton Follmer: I am going to Kirkwood to major in psychology.

Abby Forbes: I am attending the

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University of Iowa and I am majoring in human physiology on the pre-med track.

Tiara Forrest Hailey Frank: I am attending St. Olaf, but not sure on a major yet. I will also be minoring or majoring in dance.

G Aashika Gadkari: I plan on attending the University of Southern California as a world bachelor in business major.

Madison Gallo Hunter Garvin: I plan on attending Stanford University and majoring in something business.

Kailey Gee: I plan on attending Macalester College and majoring in sociology with a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism.

Abigail Ghabel: I’m planning on going to University of Northern Iowa. I want to major in secondary education and women gender studies.

Teo Gonzalez: I plan on attending University of Iowa and majoring in predentistry.

Marissa Goodale Jan Goska Renee Gould Drew Gratton Nathan Gudenkauf Marco Guess Zoey Guo: I plan on attending Northeastern University with a combined major in computer science and maybe graphic design. #gohuskies :) Ellie Guthart Reham Guzouli

H

Sean Hagan Noah Hahn Thoman Ham: I plan on attending Kirkwood, majoring in IT. Neelesh Handa Mattie Harms Jack Harris: I plan on attending Grinnell College and skipping all my classes to go climbing.

Augustin Heitman Lindsey Henkenius Katerin Hernandez Tavarian Herron Ahmed Higgo

“ ON E

BAD G R ADE I SN ’T TH E E N D OF TH E WO R LD AN D TH E ON LY OPI N ION THAT MATTE RS I S YOU R OWN .”

- HAI LEY FRAN K Haley Hinshaw Mesarah Hnesh Ella Hochstetler: I will be attending the University of Findlay and majoring in exercise science.

Cameron Hopkins Trey Hotsenpiller Connor Houtman Danielle Hribar Grace Huang: I plan on attending Washington University in St. Louis and majoring in computer science.

Joshua Hurtado Ahmed Ibrahim

“ LI FE I S SHO RT, J UST EAT IT.”

-AASH I KA GADKARI

I Grace Ingersoll Emma Ingersoll-Weng Gavin Irias: I’m attending the University of North Dakota and majoring in commercial aviation.

J

Pakshal Jain Liam James David Jang Anuj Jani Cole Jenkins: I plan on attending Iowa State to major in mechanical engineering.

Charles Jetton: I plan on attending Luther College studying music education and history.

Matthew Jetton: I plan on attending Loyola University of Chicago and majoring in pre-med biology.

Bernice Johnson Catty Jones Keira Jones

“ I F YOU HATE YOU R SOCIAL LI FE BECOM E AN E NG I N E E R .”

-COLE J EN KI NS

K

Bernadetta Kariuki Natalie Kasongo Natasha Kasongo Adama Katile: I plan on going to Kirkwood to get an ADN in nursing, then attend the University of Iowa to get a BSN in nursing, probably get married, work as an RN, and maybe some travel nursing.

Aissata Katile: I plan to attend the University of Iowa, majoring in nursing.

Maria Kazembe Mariam Keita Abdullah Khowassah Shreya Khullar: I will be attending Columbia University to study English literature and economics.

Alex Kimura: I don’t know.

Hanah Kitamoto: I am going to attend the University of California in Irvine to study psychology. Catch me fangirling for Shohei Ohtani at the Angels Stadium in Anaheim on the weekends!

Quinn Koch Soomin Koh: I will be attending Williams College to study public health and Spanish on a pre-med track, and hope to spend lots of time skiing in the Berkshires!

Senabou Kone Katherine Kouba: I am attending the University of New Hampshire to play volleyball and will major in business.

Isabel Kroemer: I plan to attend Kirkwood to be a dental hygienist.

Izabelle Kumbi Conrad Kuntz Israel Kuta Manasse Kuta Sean Kwak

L

Joseph Larimore Derek Larsen Kearsten Lenth Bailey Libby: I will be attending the University of Iowa for gymnastics and I

will be majoring in nursing.

Finn Lindsey: I plan on attending the University of Iowa and majoring in psychology.

Nathan Lone Rebekah Longmire Clare Loussaert: I am starting an AmeriCorps position in Austin, TX, through a company called Literacy First in September. I will be tutoring kids aged kindergarten through second grade in reading in Spanish. I will start at the University of Iowa in the fall of 2023 (still figuring out my major).

Andy Luo

M Noely Makenda Mark Mallard Taylon Mann Scarlet Martin: I plan on attending University of Iowa and majoring in predentistry.

Christopher Martinez Juan Martinez Caroline Mascardo: I will attend Rice University and plan to double major in anthropology and linguistics with a minor in film.

Sarah Masoyinyana Parker McBride Nicholas McDonnell Cheri McFall Alexander McKane Zohrae McLaskey Adam McLean Kevyn Medina Cassandra Michaels: I’m finally starting a webcomic I’ve been brainstorming for a few years now.

Brynn Miller Liam Miller Talia Miller Jacobs Pete Moe: My plans are to attend a prep school for basketball and do a post-grad year at that prep school. The 2023-2024 school year is when I will go to college and play basketball for that college.

Leah Moenning Ahmed Mohamed Hussein Mohamed Mishka Mohamed Nour: I plan on attending University of Iowa.

Bahaa Mohammad Mohammed Mohammed Samar Mohammed Joshua Morden Nicholas Morden

Liz Morgan: I’ll be studying psychology at Iowa State, maybe a minor in art or French!

Connor Morris Mark Mueller Tayyiba Muhammad Parmindar Mundra Aidan Murphy Benjamin Mwamba

N Cormac Nabhan-Warren Sidney Nash: I’m attending Kirkwood to get my nursing degree.

Lojain Nasr Zachary Nauman Ana Nester: I plan on attending the University of Manoa and majoring in nursing.

Brianna Newton Estella Newton: I plan on attending Grinnell College and majoring in political science.

Ben Nkolobise Brynne Nock Caden Noeller Zoe Nolte: I plan to attend Colorado State University and major in zoology.

Distony Ntumba Celestina Nuro-Gyina

O

Talyia Ochola Grant O’Dell Aidan Ohl: I plan on attending Williams College and majoring in chemistry.

Mackenzie Ohlinger Brianna Ojiangbe Kuznetsova Byamungu Omari Mukucha Omari Noah Oriano Jasmine Ortega: I’m attending the University of Iowa as an open major.

Asama Osman Ayah Osman Mihad Osman Maggy Owen Xander Owens-Holst

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P Leigha Pacha Anand Parekh Zachary Park Nainsi Patel Grace Paxton Brett Pelfrey Marviera Perryman Raina Pfeifer: I plan on attending Iowa State University to study environmental engineering, Spanish and nutrition!

Sabrina Pfeiffer Williams Thomas Pierce: I plan on attending Macalester College and majoring in chemistry and biology.

Michaela Pinter Joseph Polyak: I’ll be majoring in some sort of social science (probably) at Macalester College in St. Paul.

Q Amira Qidwai: I’m attending the University of Iowa to study international relations, Arabic and potentially secondary social studies education.

Isolina Quinones Anderson

R

Nader Rahhal Maynor Ramos-Portillo Cameron Reimers: I plan on attending Cornell College and majoring in microbiology.

Emma Rein-Skerritt Linda Reyes-Alcaraz Linnea Rietz: I plan on attending Loyola University Chicago and majoring in biology.

Jade Ritchey: I plan on attending Kirkwood for interior design.

Alex Rohm: I plan on attending the University of Iowa and majoring in chemistry and/or linguistics.

Quay Marion Rowan Marcos Rubio

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S Hala Saeed Ahmed Salaheldin Antonio Sanchez: I will be attending the University of Chicago and majoring in biological sciences (pre-med) track and Spanish.

Abbey Schley: I plan on going to New York Film Academy to major in acting for film.

Kael Scranton Jordan Sehr: I plan on attending Luther College and am undecided about my major.

Emma Selby: I plan on attending Loyola University at Chicago and majoring in social work with a minor in psychology!

Jimin Seo Alondra Serges Advika Shah: I’m attending the University of Iowa and majoring in economics, political science, and informatics.

Musawir Shah Ysidra Shaw Emily Shian Iahn Shim Hunter Shook: I will be attending the United States Naval Academy and plan on majoring in aerospace or marine engineering.

Kenadee Showalter Bivan Shrestha: I plan on going to Rice University to major in computer science!

McKenna Simcox Raajvi Singh Aaron Smith Canaan Smith Jerome Smith Lily Smith Madeline Smith: I will be attending DePaul University and dual studying media/communications and psychology.

Nathan Smithey Arionnah Sonii: I’m starting my real estate career.

Nathan Stephens: I plan on attending the University of Iowa and majoring in biochemistry.

Massa Suleiman Hiruni Sumanasiri: I plan to attend the University of Iowa and major in microbiology, philosophy, ethics and public policy with a minor in psychology.

Nik Sung: I plan on attending Northwestern University and majoring in chemistry.

John Syata

“ YOU R PLAN S AN D DR EAM S WI LL CHANG E . DON ’T START TO STR ESS ABOUT COLLEG E EAR LY, TAKE YOU R TI M E E NJ OYI NG TH E PLACE YOU ’ R E AT. WHATEVE R E N DS U P HAPPE N I NG AFTE R G R ADUATION I S NOT PE R MAN E NT.“

- EM MA SELBY

T Olivia Taeger: I plan to attend the University of Iowa and major in human physiology.

Steve Tembea Joshua Thomas Tyesha Thompson Ethan Titus: I plan to attend the University of Iowa with an open major.

Will Towler Aaliyah Trulson

V Brigitta Vande Lune Shonta Vanderhurst Griffin VanDyke Bianca Vaske: I’m attending Iowa State and majoring in architecture.

Anna Verry: I plan on attending St. Ambrose University to play for their soccer team and pursue a degree in nursing!

Avery Vest Makenna Vonderhaar

W

Robert Walls Elizabeth Wan: I plan on attending University of Iowa. My major is undecided.

Tony Wang: I will attend the University of Iowa and major in music and music education.

Atticus Waterman Hines Nathan Wei Brock Wenck: I’m attending college at Concordia, Nebraska, majoring in secondary education.

Emma Westgard: I am planning on going to Kirkwood next year for culinary arts with a goal of becoming a baker.

Claire Widmer: I will be attending the University of Northern Iowa and majoring in biology with an emphasis in ecology.

Theodore Wilbur: I plan on going to Cornell University and majoring in entomology.

Bodie Williamson: I am going to attend Iowa State and major in art.

Jaryn Willis: I’ll be going to Kirkwood in Iowa City to study liberal arts. After that or during whatever, I want to become a teacher for middle/high school preferably

or just work in the school system and help students however I can, whether that be school or things in their personal life.

Caecillia Wilson Leo Wilson Ella Woods Sydney Woods: I’m attending the University of Texas at Austin and majoring in political science.

Anne Wu: I will be attending the University of Iowa and will major in biomedical engineering.

Y

Madeline Yacopucci Anton Yakunin Reagan Yamashita Nathan Yanacheak Ahmed Yousif

Z

Sara Zambrano Olivia Zastrow Alissa Zelenjakovic Helen Zhang: I plan on attending Northwestern University and majoring in sociology.

Xiaoyi Zhu Camden Zirker Evan Zukin: I plan on attending University of Iowa next year with an undecided major.

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! Find out where the class of ‘22 is headed next year with this map.

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SENIOR SUGGESTIONS As West High sets its sights on next school year, take some advice about navigating high school from WSS graduating seniors.

COMPILED BY MIGUEL COHEN SUAREZ

XIAOYI “HEAD HONCHO” ZHU

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WSS STAFFERS DESIGN BY ZOEY GUO

“Don’t waste your time dwelling on the past because you can’t change it.”

MISHA “GIRLBOSS” CANIN “Be a girlboss. Sometimes things don’t go your way (sometimes every day).

It’s okay. You know, like, [stuff] happens, girlboss.”

OWEN “Sugar cookie” AANESTAD “Your future is only as good as what you put into it.”

CAROLINE “CARNIVAL BARKER” BARKER “I’ll share three of my favorite quotes: ‘You haven’t yet met all the people you will love,’ ‘Your fears don’t know your strength’ and v ‘Don’t back up in the desert.’”

RUBA “MASTERCHEF” AHMED “Don’t get hung up on the small things and think you’re a failure. Go eat a cookie.”

ZOEY “menace” GUO HELEN “THE MELON” ZHANG “It’s okay to feel emotions, whether it be happiness, anger or sadness. The only thing that isn’t okay is rejecting them.”

“Everyone says it, but seriously, don’t procrastinate. Whatever essay, assignment or project you have, just do it. It’s rarely as bad as you think it’s going to be.”

HANAH “I NEED A COOL MIDDLE NAME” KITAMOTO “Don’t measure your success by how many things you did but how far you’ve come. Focus on yourself and find something you truly enjoy and invest your time in it.”

CAROLINE “COWBOY” MASCARDO “The destination may change along the way — as long as you enjoy and reflect through the process, good things will happen.”

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