Taking a much needed sigh of relief as the college season rolls to a halt, seniors around the country are taking the opportunity before graduation to reflect on their high school experience. After all, the next chapter of their life is about to unfold! We can learn a lot from high school graduates, so I decided to unite a pair that has more in common than what first meets the eye and allow them to converse.

Kristina Johnson graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 2014, proceeding to attend Penn State University, majoring in Kinesiology, then transferring to and graduating from UDC in 2020. Johnson chose to attend Penn State University to remain close to a cousin. “I would not recommend,” Johnson elaborates. “Do not follow people to school even if it’s your cousin!” Soon after, Johnson returned to her high school, now Jackson-Reed, as a 10th grade dean.

Current Jackson-Reed senior Maryam Abdul-Alkhaaliq has recently committed to Penn State University, declaring her major as civil engineering. “[Penn State] has a really good engineering program, and I was set on doing civil engineering,” Abdul-Alkhaaliq explains. “When I went to visit the campus, it was welcoming and I felt like it had all the support I need in a college.”

Reflecting on their experiences at both Jackson-Reed High School and Penn State University, each had their highlights. 

Abdul-Alkhaali emphasizes the impact of teachers on her outlook on certain subjects: “I had some of the best teachers in my time here, like Ms. Rashada and Ms. Conroy. I used to hate English but now I’m ok with it because of them.” Johnson shares a similar sentiment: “I miss the persistent social work that the teachers gave me, the one-on-one relationship we shared.”

The sheer size of Penn State can be eye opening. “Penn State has a lot of people so I can always meet new people and see what I’ve never seen before,” Abdul-Alkhaaliq comments. In comparison, Johnson recognizes that “at Penn State, I didn’t get that personal feel [from professors] because it’s just so big, you’re one of four hundred [students taught by a teacher during a semester].”

But above all, Johnson values the adult experience that she gained attending Penn State. “Penn State was preparing me for the real world.”

As the conversation came to an end, Johnson imparted some final advice for Abdul-Alkhaaliq, for Penn State and beyond: “Stay open-minded, meet everybody, and don’t judge anybody.”