As we quickly approach the end of the school year, in addition to enjoying their last weeks of high school, HHS seniors are making the big decision of where they will be spending the next chapter of their lives. Each student has a different story of how they landed where they did, but the common factor is the anticipation of the start of something new.
Senior Annie Snow will be staying right here in Harrisonburg, attending James Madison University, studying in the Hospitality and Tours and Management Program. Making her decision ultimately just boiled down to what felt right.
“I’ve always loved JMU. I’ve grown up here and the college campus. Every time that I walk on it, it just feels right. And so it’ll be great to be close to family and surrounding myself with people that I already know. would support me and love me,” Snow said.
Contrary to Snow, Senior Abby Gibson will be attending college 2,000 miles away from Harrisonburg, where she will pursue a degree in Commercial Dance Performance and Choreography at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Gibson did take into consideration the distance from home when she made her decision, but felt as though she could still thrive.
“I loved the focus of the program. I loved LA when I went to visit, and I just felt really at home. I have a really close friend in LA that I already know, Theo Thompson, and I also love traveling and I don’t get homesick too badly. So I’m excited to make new friends and find a ‘family’,” Gibson said.
Going out of state is certainly not for everyone. In the case of Senior Carlos Lopez, out of state college was a total deal breaker. He will be taking a gap year to work in the family business, then will go to JMU to pursue a degree in criminology, with a minor in music.
“Some other colleges on my list were UVA or VT, but I just decided not to just because I really enjoy the community at JMU, and I just really didn’t want to leave home that much, because I feel like I would get too homesick. Out of state is great for a lot of people, just not for me,” Lopez said.
Senior Makayla Suffecool went against the typical grain while making her decision, as she was originally committed to Virginia Tech, and last-minute flipped her commitment to JMU to study Nutrition and Dietetics.
“I decided to flip my commitment because I wanted to stay closer to home, and I noticed that the program at JMU was better for me and better for what I want to study. Additionally, it was more affordable with the current economic state. Tuition has grown a lot, specifically in Virginia, and it just became extremely expensive,” Suffecool said.
Unfortunately, the cost of college continues to rise nationally and globally, making some colleges and universities unattainable for students to attend, especially in the out-of-state cases. Senior Kate Bodle is committed to Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan to pursue a major in English and a minor in Psychology.
“It’s such a cool, full circle moment for me because I was born in East Lansing and I kind of grew up there. My early years were all lived on campus and so I’m pretty familiar with it and I have memories there. I was also offered a really big scholarship to go there, which helped, as my other top choice was Penn State, and it was too expensive for me,” Bodle said.
Ultimately, although graduation comes with a mix of emotions, the class of 2026 is ready to spread their wings and fly into the next chapter of their lives. Suffecool is especially looking forward to her next four years.
“Even though it was a tough decision with a bit of an unconventional twist, I am confident that I made the right decision, and I am excited to finish my education in the town in which I started,” Suffecool said
