So many seniors can’t wait to “get out of here” by the time they graduate in June. They are tired of the teachers trying to make them do their work (senioritis); they are tired of the small hallways and the crowds stopped to talk in them between classes; they are tired of this small town with its one stop light and the railroad track that regularly makes them late to school. They are just so ready to greet their new life. What is that life like for a few of last year’s seniors?

Kia Jordan was a part of the class of 2017 and now attends the University of North Texas on a track and field scholarship.

“It’s been a drastic change from High School. High School was comfortable, familiar, and easy. College is strange, unpredictable, and hard,” Kia said about her new campus and life away from AHS. “There are athletes, scholars, and then the lobby people. Athletes and scholars being the students that have obligations, that are going somewhere. Lobby people are the people who literally live in the lobby. They’re always there, and it’s always the same faces. You can easily tell who’s going to be athletes and scholars or the lobby people. Say goodbye to sleep, say hello to more coffee. No curfew, no rules. Whoever said this would be fun and easy, obviously wasn’t referring to an athlete’s experience.”

Mallory Maxwell is a student at Texas Tech and is also a part of the 2017 Aledo Class.

“College has been an amazing experience and I have met so many people since I’ve gotten here. It has been a challenge with the schoolwork and is a huge transition from high school because you have to be responsible enough to keep up with your classes. Half of the people I have met so far have no idea where Aledo is, but it’s comforting to know that people from Aledo go to the same college as I do, and it’s nice seeing them around everywhere.”

Mckenzie Lyon is a student at the University of Arkansas and graduated with the class of 2017.

“College is really difficult and you actually have to study every day and the people are a lot more diverse. Aledo prepared me well for college academically (by taking AP classes) although nothing can really prepare you fully for college; it’s like some weird social experiment.”