The thrilling rush of being a teenager — then leaping to the unknown world — is often frightening. As a child to being a teenager all we’ve known in school is to find the answer— to know the answer. But schools leave out the most important part that later in life, we won’t always have one. This is very mind boggling when you’re trying to guide your life as you’re trying to withstand the many drifts and rifts that come along the way.
As we have an idea of what we’ll do after high school like a checklist—maybe college, a gap year, traveling, or even a job. But we aren’t guaranteed the certainty of what’s “meant to be.” Mr. Prado who’s an Eisenhower high school teacher, shares how we might have a clear vision of how we plan our lives to be but it won’t always unfold according to how we imagine it too. He shares when he was in high school, “ I thought it was going to be ideal as after high school you think you’re more of an adult and you’ll just go to college, attend classes, then life would follow after”. Mr. Prado then highlights how reality comes in many different ways as after high school, as it happened he realized you don’t actually know what’s going to occur as many unexpected things come. He adds on by saying, “I was in my early 20s during this time of my life and you’re honestly trying to figure things out but trying to discover who you are. Even though I was a young adult I haven’t fully experienced things and you’re still trying to navigate your way through life.” Mr. Prado opens up his own experience during and after high school expressing how uncertainty and redirection is a part of the journey— entering the world.
Mr. Prado’s experience is an example of students who haven’t experienced the unknown and are currently navigating that uncertainty firsthand. It can be overwhelming especially when you’re trying to schedule things in a timely manner that’ll determine your future.
Jocelyn Bautista, a 2025 senior who’s soon to graduate, mentions the uncertainty she’s experienced herself. “I have always had the drive to attend college after high school, but wasn’t sure where to apply to.” Jocelyn then begins to execute how the summer before her senior year she began to explore into programs that’ll incorporate helping kids grow and succeed. She highlights how she thinks how after high school she’ll experience great things as she’ll be attending Cal Poly Pomona this fall to earn her bachelors in child development. She also includes, “I’ll be getting my minor in pre-occupational therapy to become a pediatric occupational therapist.”
Jocelyn’s experience evaluates a deeper understanding of uncertainty as she reminds us that we might not have all the answers. She reassures us that clarity isn’t given at once but it’ll develop while we’re navigating and our paths don’t have to be perfect or all figured out. Mr. Prado and Jocelyn show us that it’s okay to feel uncertain as things align to what’s meant to happen. Every decision we make small and big will unravel to our destination.
Whether you’re a student now about to experience life after high school or soon too. Someone who’s looked back and dealt with everything that us upcoming graduates will begin to face shortly might not have all the answers but one answer is certain— the future is unpredictable but filled with possibilities. You don’t need to know all the answers, uncertainty isn’t scary but rather the story you hold isn’t finished.
