Nina Johnson
Features Editor
On Friday, May 24, Orono upperclassmen were called to the auditorium during spartan hour to hear a panel of 2018 graduates speak about their freshman year of college. Juniors and seniors were invited, though it was geared toward the seniors nearing graduation and the start of their own college careers in just a few months.
It was a casual setting, where seven Orono graduates who returned to the school sat in a half circle facing the students. Counselors presented the students with a series of questions, each response differing from the one before. The students each attended universities across the country, ranging from Middlebury in Vermont, Texas Christian University in Texas, Syracuse in New York, and the University of Minnesota, only 20 miles away from Orono High School.
“Though I still have over a year before I leave for college, it was still interesting to learn about the seemingly universal experiences these students shared, even while being at completely different places across the country,” junior Sophie Johnson said.
The students reflected on their freshman years, talking about both their greatest surprises and overall triumphs of the year, and any additional advice that they wish they would have known before their freshman year.
“It was so cool to hear about stuff about college. It makes me even more excited, as they make it look so much fun and take some additional stress off of my shoulders,” senior Alex Maxwell said.
With graduation only two weeks away, many of Orono’s seniors are preparing for a drastic change in pace, pushing the counselors and teachers to make any last efforts to make the transition to college a seamless one.