Starting high school can be nerve wracking, but Dean’s newest senior class is here to tell incoming 9th graders: Make the most of it.
“When you’re uncomfortable, it means you’re progressing and you’re learning,” says student Felix Marrero-Cruz, speaking about the personal journey that led to his choice to enroll in the cosmetology shop at Dean. Choosing a shop—or for HHS North students, a linked-learning academy—is a central focus of freshman year, and one that can come with internal and external pressures to make the “right” decision.
What constitutes the “right” decision is different for each student. Patrice Laguerre sought an outlet for her artistic side, and found that in Dean’s culinary program. “I like being able to experiment and make up new things,” says Patrice, “especially when the teachers encourage me to be creative.” For programming and web development student Kiaralis Fernandez, working with computers isn’t actually work. “It’s fun to do. It’s amazing.” Above all, “when you pick something, pick it for the right reason,” says auto collision student Izrael Lopez.
What’s the key to academic success according to Dean students? Working with your teachers. “My teachers remind me and let me know that mistakes are supposed to happen. Mistakes don’t make you worse or a bad teammate, they make you a better one,” says Izrael. Mistakes are part of learning—and so is asking for help. “When you ask for help, your question or doubt also helps other people,” says programming student Joelisse Marrero.
Jamieliz Hafer also wants to encourage incoming freshmen that they will find their community in high school, and maybe not where they’re expecting. Jamieliz has found her niche in the auto collision shop. “There’s other girls in this shop and they can do it as much as I can, and I can do it as much as they can.” Cosmetology student Tanayri Figueroa reminds students that they will find out more about themselves, too. “School has changed me a lot,” says Tanayri, “I’m a whole different person than I was when I first came to school.”
Finally, one last piece of advice from Felix Marrero-Cruz: “Have fun during high school. You only get to do it one time.”