Senior Experiences

Senior+Experiences

Shelbee Burke, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Throughout my final year at Alliance High School, I have been able to have numerous incredible experiences that I never could have dreamed of. This year has by far been one of my best, yet most stressful, years yet. Between trips for extracurricular activities, college classes and filling out pages and pages of scholarships, I have been busier than ever this year. Despite all this, it has been an extremely successful year filled with new adventures around every corner.

This year, I have had the opportunity to take two different week-long trips- both of which were in the same month. At the beginning of November, I was able to travel to our nation’s capital for an FCCLA conference. I was able to attend numerous conferences regarding FCCLA and see different monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial, the Reflection Pool, the Vietnam Memorial and the Martin Luther King Junior Memorial. This was a trip I will never forget, and it was truly moving. Two weeks later I was headed back to the eastern side of the country, this time traveling to Indianapolis for the National Catholic Youth Conference. I was able to learn more about my faith, grow closer to God and eat some very yummy food while there. November was a crazy busy month, but completely worth it for the opportunities I had. 

I have been participating in both volleyball and basketball for many years, and for many years I had a passion for both. This year’s volleyball season was extremely successful for me and I had an amazing time playing for one last season. In December I made the decision to quit basketball- a sport that I had played since the third grade. This was the best decision for my mental health and to allow myself to have more time for my numerous other activities. This was a hard decision to make, but it ultimately led to a better outcome than I could have ever imagined. After quitting basketball, I signed up for speech, which surprised many people. I was able to find an extreme amount of success with this- not only in the form of medals, but also with gaining confidence and finding new friends. 

Along with volleyball and speech, I am also the president of NHS, Student Council, FBLA, FCCLA, Hope Squad and the Senior Class. I am also an active member of my church, being a lector and the youth member of the Stewardship Committee. All of these activities keep me constantly on my toes and force me to be much more organized than I usually am. It does allow me to be extremely involved though, which is very important to me. 

School and classes are one aspect of senior year that is unlike any other year for me. I am taking two dual credit classes through WNCC this semester, and I enjoy both of those because of how they push me intellectually. My classes in the high school are super fun- I’m taking classes like Sports History, Leadership, and Weights. This year, my schedule has allowed me to have much more free time which I greatly appreciate.

The final part of senior year that I have been working on- and quite possibly one of the most tedious parts- is applying for scholarships. There are numerous scholarships available at the school, town, county, state, and national level. I have been applying to as many scholarships as possible to help offset the costs of college next year. There are so many scholarships available it is sometimes difficult to sift through them and determine which ones are the most worth applying for. 

Senior year has been filled with amazing opportunities and given me many new friends and experiences. I am grateful for my time at AHS, and my senior year has been an awesome experience, even with all of the stress. The past four years have truly given me so much more than I ever realized it would.