Written By: Thatiana Smith, Staff Writer
HEMMERLING: A time in life where students realize that time moves faster than they thought.
High school is a time where students really get a chance to learn who they are. Many people have the advantage of becoming football players, cheerleaders, choir kids, band kids, or theater kids. Whether or not one believes in the same old high school stereotypes and cliques, it is up to them, but Ryan Hemmerling is another story.
Ryan Hemmerling is a senior who is more than ready to graduate high school with the rest of the class of 2023. Hemmerling is not only involved in show choir and theater, but he is also the president of the French Honors Society and member of the chess club, Scholarship Society, and the Wizarding World Club. As one can see, Hemmerling is well involved in the school, but it was not always like this. Hemmerling says that he “regrets not putting himself out there as much and making new friends. The past year he’s joined so many clubs and done so many activities; he’s made a lot of new friends and wishes he made them sooner.”
Hemmerling may have expressed disappointment in the things he has and has not done in high school, but he is more than ready for what college has in store. Hemmerling will attend Riverside City College this fall. He has plans to transfer to a performing arts university to obtain a BFA in musical theater. Hemmerling has been in the performing arts for many years now. He claims that his first ever major role was Micheal in Elf Junior, and this year marks the eighth year that Hemmerling has done theater.
Along with all the extra curricular activities that he does, he also excels in school. Hemmerling has an outstanding 4.3 GPA. Hemmerling not only has an outstanding relationship with his school work, but he also has outstanding relationships with his teachers. He says that “the French teacher, Madame Kund, has really impacted his life. He’s been her student since freshman year and now he’s a TA for her. She always is encouraging her students to step out of their comfort zones and take advantage of all the opportunities that come their way.” Building a special bond with a teacher is something that every student can benefit from. Not only do they have a positive role model in their life, but they also have someone who they can confide in.
Seniors tend to have a list of activities they want to do before they graduate. Hemmerling claims that “there’s nothing major he wants to do before he graduates; he just wants to enjoy the last few months he has.” Some may say that high school is the best four years of one’s life. Some might agree and some might disagree, but at the end of the day, everyone’s experience is different.
Senior year might start off slow but it goes by faster than one can expect. The first semester is clouded by college applications, football games, homecoming, and many holidays. The second semester is clouded by the new year, spring break, college acceptances and rejections, prom, and finally graduation. High school graduation may mark the end of a high school career but it does not mark the end of one’s life. There is always light at the end of the tunnel, so enjoy the time you have in high school and remember that graduating high school is another chapter in the book of your life.
