When senior Dione Ramos walked into the Historic County Courthouse as a first-time voter on Oct. 26, she emerged with a renewed belief in the power of her voice. 

“Youth are the generation that has to live with the consequences and decisions of adults,” she said. “So now that I’m a young adult, I want to finally use my voice and vote.”

With the status of being a legal adult, 18-year-olds like Ramos can vote in elections, play the lottery and rent their own apartment. 

But for many students, the thought of transitioning into adulthood and navigating the real world can often usher in a mixed-bag of nostalgia, excitement and fright.  

“You’re going to school for eight hours a day, and it doesn’t feel like anything is happening,” senior Katrina Turner said. “You’re just like, ‘I can’t wait to go to sleep. I just can’t wait to go home and do X, Y, Z.’ But all of a sudden, you start high school as a freshman. And four years later, you’re a senior and you’re graduating.”

With a fast-approaching graduation on May 8 or an upcoming 18th birthday, many seniors are looking back on the past and realizing that time can go by within the blink of an eye.  

“You do things with friends and family and you don’t really think about it until way later on,” senior Connor Sevick said. “It takes a while to realize that it was an incredibly special moment with people (you) care about.”

As students are grappling with the process of becoming an adult, some concerns arise. 

“I don’t want to mess up,” senior Jenna Gallegos said. “I feel like, if I do something wrong, it would ruin my life in a way. I don’t want to pick the wrong college. I don’t want to vote for the wrong person or date the wrong person.”

Many teens feel the pressure of following a linear, orderly path as they get older.

“When you’re younger, you think that adults have it all figured out,” English teacher Bretley Laramore said. “And then, when you become an adult, you realize that adults don’t know it all. They are just trying the best they can.”

She added: “People get trapped into the idea of having to do this, this, this and that. But it’s OK if you don’t have it all figured out.”

The uncertainty of growing up is aptly encapsulated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“When the pandemic hit, it forced a lot of people to figure out how to grow up in a more isolated scenario,” Turner said. “I have three younger siblings and it was expected of me to make sure everyone was staying on task and everyone ate lunch and the house didn’t burn down.

“That was a growing up experience for everyone in my family because online learning, school shutdowns… It wasn’t something that we thought we were ever going to do.”

But while some have a secure environment to grow up in, others do not. 

“Not every kid gets that opportunity,” Turner said. “Some kids are working from the age of 15 so that their younger siblings can go to school.” 

Although 18 serves as a legal cutoff between child and adult, privilege continually plays a role in when and how young people grow up. Some can hold onto their past while others are thrust into adulthood before they could ever enjoy their childhood.

But becoming an adult is still a process that students go through at some point in their lives. And it doesn’t always mean dropping everything that shaped who they once were. 

“I think that (being an adult and a child) can coexist,” biology teacher Christina Gizzarelli said. “As an adult, in order to get through life — because life can be very difficult — you still have to have some childlike innocence or you’re just going to get jaded and fall into darkness.”

Even with multiple unknowns accompanying adulthood, many students are embracing the idea of stepping away from their past and moving toward their future — growing into the person they want to be. 

“Graduation is a good way to launch into college or trade school or whatever you’re doing,” Turner said. “But it should be another step on the path. It shouldn’t be the peak of the mountain.”

“… I’m sad to leave the relationships. But I’m ready to move on and start figuring out life from (my own) perspective and create my own definition of who I am.”