Question: Would your 18-year-old self be surprised by yourself now? What were your plans when you entered adulthood? 

Teacher interviews:

Mrs. Maer, Pre-Calculus & AP Calculus teacher 

  “When I graduated from high school, I wanted to be a mom and a math teacher. And I have done exactly what I set out to do; which I don’t think typically happens, so I am proud that I was able to follow through with my plans. So yes, I think my 18-year-old self would be proud of my accomplishments and where I have made it today. I know I wish however looking back that I could’ve done more helping and charity work to help others.

Mr. Shehigian, IB Social Studies and AP Government (and more) teacher 

“I would say my 18-year-old self would not be proud of where I am. My 18-year-old self wanted to get involved in politics. I did accomplish the goal of going to the college I wanted, law school, interning for a congressman, and more. But shortly after I decided not to travel that route. I am happy I have a great family and am surrounded by great students every day but overall, my old self would be shocked at me now.”

Mrs. Lynch, IB Language and Literature, College Freshman English and Journalism (and more) teacher 

“When I was a senior in high school, I chose a college based on a boy…and I chose the wrong college. I didn’t realize what a big deal that was until I was at the wrong college. That being said, my first year was extremely tough because I was at a school that was way too big for my introverted self, and had no idea what I wanted to study. So would my 18-year-old self be proud of me today? Yes, I don’t think the life that I had was the life I expected because I had no idea and no plan. I knew that I loved: Art, English, and reading, but I would never have guessed I would become a teacher because I am naturally introverted. People always ask me how I am a teacher if I say I am so introverted as well. Growing up, I had anxiety and suffered from it, but it wasn’t very popular to talk about, so I never really understood what I was going through. So, looking back I think another part of why I became a high school teacher is because I wanted to help young people through this really tough time, and so that’s how I framed my career. I thought about the impact of the kids rather than just teaching English. So yes, my 18-year-old self would be completely shocked and confused about how I ended up here. 

All in all, I believe that everyone has their idea of what they think they will be once they are older. But proved here, 1 in 3 people were able to execute their ideal plan in their career. We all take turns that can push us in the direction we had, or open a new chapter for us. I have goals for myself, I of course hope they all come true, but no one is ever really satisfied with themselves, and always pushing to do more. After finishing the interviews, the teachers all told me that they never really put two and two together to think about what their past selves had planned for them, and how much they had changed.