As the 2024-25 school year comes to an end, graduating Archie Williams seniors are preparing to take their next steps. For many, these next steps will lead to higher education through forms of four-year universities, community colleges, or specialized trade schools. However, some Archie Williams seniors are straying from the norm, pursuing gap years, travel opportunities, or careers post-graduation.
Archie Williams seniors Julia Conrad and Zara Wolf are taking advantage of unique opportunities abroad. After graduation, they will volunteer in Greece with a humanitarian organization focused on the preservation of turtles on an island off the west coast of Greece.
“I will volunteer to help sea turtles hatch from their nests and walk to the beach. We will monitor the sea turtles and their nests and take care of the surroundings so it’s not polluted,” Julia said.
However, Julia and Zara’s journey will not end there. In October, the girls plan to support a family farm just outside of Florence, Italy, through Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). WWOOF is a program that empowers volunteers to work on organic farms in exchange for free food, lodging, and the chance to learn about sustainable farming.
“[Zara and I] will grow and harvest the vegetables and other crops, and then we will sell them at a weekly market. They will teach us about agriculture and viticulture, as well as their culture,” Julia said.
Julia, who has expressed interest in biology throughout high school, decided to take this opportunity to both explore her interests and diversify her learning in pursuit of life experience.
“I’ve wanted to take a gap year since seventh grade, so it’s always been in my mind… It’s important to get life experience before returning to my normal routine and going to school. It’s important to gain maturity before going into college, so I’m glad I ultimately made that decision,” Julia said.
While Julia is preparing for a year of hands-on environmental work and cultural immersion across Europe, Archie Williams senior Milton Zaar plans to take a different route. Following his graduation, Milton, a Swedish citizen, will serve in the Swedish military for 15 months, committing to a year and a quarter of national service abroad.
“Military service is a normal thing in Sweden. The norm in Sweden is to take a gap year and not focus on school or university right away. So it’s pretty normal to travel or just get a job or do the military services,” Milton said.
Milton is ultimately looking forward to serving his country, and after the completion of his service, he plans to apply to university. While the military service is not required by law in Sweden, Milton views it as a personal duty and a valuable opportunity for personal growth and development.
“[The military service] is just for 15 months, and then after that, I’ll go to university. I’m hoping to grow as a person, serve my country, and [the service] looks good on my resume. ” Milton said.
Despite not being a senior, Sarala Rosen is graduating with the rest of the class of 2025. As a junior, Sarala participated in accelerated learning, completing her coursework to graduate a year earlier than planned.
“I have had to finish extra classes in order to complete all my high school requirements. I added extra classes into my course load to be able to [graduate early],” Sarala said.
While Sarala isn’t looking to pursue military involvement or work with preservation programs throughout her gap year, she is simply looking to try something new. Sarala feels she is ready to move on and explore her interests outside of a traditional educational environment.
“I just feel ready to move on from this part of my life. I’ve been here, I’ve enjoyed it, I’ve done it, and I’m ready to move on and do something new. I’ve had a lot of jobs where I babysat and worked at camps, but I’m looking for a job where I am doing something new,” Sarala said.
As graduation approaches, many seniors are working towards others like Milton, Sarala, Zara, Julia, and many other Archie Williams seniors are preparing to embark on unconventional journeys. Through their unique choices, the graduating students hope to fulfill lifelong goals, explore new interests, or simply step out of their comfort zones.
