#( In just a week, hundreds of North Hollywood High School seniors will walk across a stage, turn their tassels, and leave behind the routines that shaped the last four years of their lives.
For some, graduation feels exciting. For others, it feels terrifying, surreal, or bittersweet. Most seniors say it feels like all those emotions at once. But for many, the strangest part is realizing that ordinary moments — walking through familiar hallways, rehearsing after school, waiting in lunch lines, or talking with teachers between classes — are quietly becoming “lasts.”
As final projects, college decisions, and graduation requirements pile up, seniors across different SLCs and communities are beginning to reflect on who they were when they first arrived at NHHS and who they have become now.
“It feels kind of unreal knowing that graduation is only a few weeks away,” said Malik Bridges, a senior in North Hollywood Academy. “I wasn’t always the best academically, so seeing my improvement now really means something to me.”
“Honestly, it feels kind of crazy,” remarked Xochitl Cuevas, a senior from SAS. “The past four years here at North Hollywood have gone by so fast. When I was a freshman, seniors always told me to enjoy it because it would fly by, and I never fully understood that until now.”
For Kevin Torres, another senior from SAS, graduation feels unfamiliar in a different way. “It feels kind of scary,” Torres said. “I’ve gotten too used to this campus, this school, and the same routine for the past four years. Sometimes change is scary.”
Andres Vazquez, a senior in the STEM Magnet, described graduation as both exciting and painful. “I cannot wait to move on to another chapter in my life,” Vazquez said. “But I also feel sorrow because I’m leaving this chapter, one that changed me a lot for the better.”
For many seniors, realizing that high school was ending came through stressful deadlines and emotional milestones.
With Cuevas, she said the feeling hit after the end of her first semester. “I’m in the Royal Regiment, so once marching season was over, it hit me that it was my last season,” Cuevas said. “Then college applications were done, acceptance letters started coming in, and suddenly everything felt real.”
Torres described what made everything sink in. “When we were done with college apps and admission season, I think after that it really hit me,” Torres said.
Vazquez described application season as overwhelming. “I was stressed with writing essays, homework, chores, and work,” Vazquez said. “It honestly screamed ‘senior’ in my face.”
While academics and applications defined much of senior year, many students said the biggest changes happened personally.
Cuevas described herself as a shy freshman still recovering socially after the COVID-19 pandemic. “Middle school was weird,” Cuevas said. “We had COVID during sixth and seventh grade, and eighth grade was basically everyone trying to figure out how to interact again.” Entering high school felt like a chance to reinvent herself. “I wanted to leave that middle school part of me behind and start anew, so I literally cut my hair,” she described. “You’re coming into this huge high school and suddenly you’re the little fish again.”
Vazquez reflected on how much he changed over the last four years. “The worst version of me walked into this school as a freshman,” Vazquez said. “Now I know who I am, what I want, and how to balance my goals.”
For Bridges, one defining moment was learning to open up socially. “One memory that really defines my high school experience is when my social skills shifted,” Bridges said. “I was really used to being alone or staying in my own little box. Having that breakthrough was honestly awesome for me.”
Much of Cuevas’s growth came through her extracurriculars. “I don’t know who I would be without band,” Cuevas said. “All the experiences and leadership opportunities shaped who I am now.”
With graduation nearing at an alarming rate, many seniors are beginning to recognize the smaller moments they will miss the most.
“I honestly might miss the small conversations I have with some of my teachers,” Bridges said. “Visiting my fifth period class for nutrition and my second period class for lunch almost feel like staples in my day.”
Cuevas said she will miss the structure of everyday school life. “Waking up every morning, going through all six periods, having after-school practice, and then doing it all over again…I think I’m gonna miss the routine.”
Torres mentioned he’d miss the small moments that once felt insignificant in his earlier years. “I’m definitely gonna miss nutrition and lunch,” Torres said. “Waiting in line for food every day, the waffles, the ham and cheese croissants — it sounds small, but I think I’m really gonna miss that.”
For Vazquez, the hardest part is preparing himself emotionally to leave people behind. “I’m not ready to cry yet,” Vazquez said. “Cry for those students who became my family these past years, and cry because I’m starting my adult life.”
As Cuevas prepares to attend University of California, Santa Cruz and study electrical engineering, she said she feels both nervous and excited. “I’m sad about leaving my family and friends behind,” Cuevas said. “But at the same time I’m excited because I get to create something new for myself.”
Many seniors agree that graduation represents achievement and excitement, but also comes with other pressures. “It’s kind of stressful because even if you have a plan after high school, you really don’t know what’s gonna happen,” Torres mentioned.
Vazquez said preparing for adulthood has forced him to become more responsible. “It forced me to realize life is not cheap,” Vazquez said. “The only way to succeed is to prepare yourself in every way possible.”
Still, despite the anxiety surrounding graduation, many seniors said they are proud of how far they have come. “The most rewarding part of my high school journey has been seeing my own personal academic growth,” Bridges stated.
“I’m getting a full ride to college,” Cuevas said proudly. “It feels like all the hard work I put into school finally paid off.”
Torres mentioned simply making it to graduation feels rewarding after everything seniors have been through. “I think graduation itself is the final accomplishment,” Torres said. “Finishing strong, getting into colleges you want, keeping your GPA up, all of it.”
Vazquez commented how one lesson from an upperclassman his freshman year changed the way he viewed growth. “A senior once told me, ‘Practice makes progress, not perfection,’” Vazquez said. “That completely changed how I viewed improvement.”
As seniors prepare to leave high school behind, many are also reflecting on what they wish they appreciated more during their years at NHHS. “Something I wish I appreciated more in high school is the club and activity opportunities,” Bridges said.
Cuevas described how she wished she spent less time worrying about the future and more time appreciating the present.
Torres echoed a similar feeling. “The small moments,” Torres said. “Walking through the halls, going to lunch, just everyday stuff. That’s what I think I’ll miss most.”
Vazquez said he wishes he appreciated being a child more. “You realize adulthood is not as easy as people make it seem,” Vazquez said. “High school teaches you how to face hardships and get back up from them.”
As they reflected on the end of high school, the students offered similar advice to incoming freshmen: appreciate the experience while it lasts.
“Never let yourself fall behind,” Bridges said.
“Don’t take it for granted,” Cuevas firmly added. “At the end, you realize you’re never going to have this again.”
Torres encouraged freshmen to fully involve themselves in high school life. “Make sure to take a bunch of pictures, create memories, join clubs, spend time with friends,” Torres listed. “Just have fun and make the most out of these four years.”
Vazquez’s advice was simple: “Try new things, learn new things, and don’t stress about things you can’t control.”
As the Class of 2026 prepares to leave behind familiar hallways, routines, and friendships, many seniors say the memories they created will stay with them long after graduation.
“After these four years, I think I’ll carry my perseverance with me far beyond graduation,” Bridges said.
For Vazquez, that lasting connection is percussion. “It started in high school,” Vazquez said, “but it sure won’t stop in high school.”
Cuevas reflected on the emotional weight of all the memories she has created, and the new ones she’ll make in her journey. “Friends can come and go,” Cuevas said. “But the memories that you have will always stay with you.”
In just a week, the halls of North Hollywood will grow quieter for the Class of 2026 — but the memories, friendships, and versions of themselves they found here will follow them long after graduation.
