Recent high school graduates offer wisdom for incoming freshmen
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High school is an ideal time for growth and discovery.
Talk to graduating seniors and they’ll likely tell you that it all went by too quickly, that they wish they could go back, slow down and enjoy more of it.
What other wisdom might incoming freshmen learn from recent graduates?
Aven Chievous, a member of the Class of 2026 at Fr. Tolton Regional Catholic High School in Columbia, shared some advice his Mom gave him when she’d drop him off at school.
“She would always say, ‘You never know what other people are going through. So, try to go out of your way to make other people smile and brighten everyone else’s day,’” Aven recalled.
Fellow 2026 Tolton Catholic graduate Katie Sutter emphasized the importance of staying open to new people and new things.
“Step out of your comfort zone and start talking to more people you wouldn’t otherwise talk to,” said Katie.
That’s something she wishes she had done more of in her years leading up to college.
“High school is such a good time to explore all the options,” she stated. “Doing things you normally wouldn’t do and maybe that none of your friends are doing, so you get to meet new people and kind of go down your own path and figure out who you are.
“You don’t have to worry about what people around you think of it,” she added. “Just enjoy it.”
Ellayna Morasch, who graduated from Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City this year, said her high school experience improved as she became more outgoing and involved in more activities.
“Talk to people and be open to trying new things,” she said, “especially like going on the mission trips and retreats and all the cool, unique opportunities your school has to offer and just saying ‘yes’ to everything.”
2026 Helias Catholic graduate Clara Underwood agreed with getting “super-involved” in clubs and activities such as Student Council.
“These are great places to meet new friends,” she said. “So, stay involved and be a good sport.”
Dominik Abadi, Tolton Catholic Class of 2026, emphasized the importance of maintaining confidence from Day 1.
“I was very nervous going into my freshman year, and I think I lost some confidence somewhere along the way,” he said.
He offered some tips for not letting that happen.
“Make sure you keep yourself healthy, go to sleep on time, eat right, wake up early and exercise,” he said. “Study in school and study your faith.
“Take care of yourself and do all the healthy things, and your life will be much better, and that will help you take care of other people,” he advised.
Helias Catholic graduate Joseph Jones Jr. noted that school sports are great for making friends and learning important skills, such as teamwork and responsibility.
He suggested cultivating a group of friends who can rely on each other on bad days and help lift other people up on good days.
“Whenever you’re having a bad day, there’s always gonna be someone who’s having a good day,” he said. “Lean on them and let them know they can lean on you.”
2026 Tolton Catholic graduate Avery Hazelrigg suggested maintaining a good balance throughout high school.
“You have so many opportunities to do new stuff and try new things,” she said. “Try to make the most of everything high school has to offer you.”
She cautioned against becoming too focused on one aspect of high school, at the expense of everything else.
“Try and have a variety,” she said. “Don’t get caught up only doing schoolwork or only doing your sport, 24/7. Have the full high school experience.”
Grayson Moore advised working to make new friends early while staying connected with good old friends.
“Sometime over the next four years,” he predicted, “you might fall flat on your face and think, ‘I’m so embarrassed. I don’t ever want to go back there again.’”
“If that happens, go back, try again, and just keep trying to reach out to people, and you WILL get through it,” he said.
