As the days go by, it’s one step closer to graduation for each senior. Whether they’re eagerly looking forward to graduating or feeling sad about leaving, it’s not surprising that most seniors are filled with a mix of emotions. For the next few months left of the school year, we’ll take a look at some different seniors, taking a snapshot of their life and sharing their story with all.
Francesca Vidal has been at Brownell Talbot for nine years and shared, “I really like the close community that BT has. I enjoy being able to form close connections with teachers, get help from teachers or classmates whenever I need it, the small class sizes, and the different BT traditions.”
Francesca is busy with activities both inside and outside of school. On campus, she participates in robotics, Science Olympiad, science bowl, cheer, swimming, National Honors Society, and band. Outside of BT, she is the president of JuSTEMagine, a STEM and SEL service organization started by 2022 graduate Jack Cenovic. When asked what one of her favorite memories from these activities was, Francesca said, “My favorite memory was going to the 2022 VEX Worlds Robotics competition and winning the Design and Community awards. After working on the logbook for multiple hours each day, I felt that my hard work paid off. It was also my first time going to Worlds and I had a ton of fun exploring Dallas with my teammates during our free time.”
For Francesca, many of the courses she has taken throughout high school have proved to be widely beneficial and engaging, but one of her favorite classes is one she is currently taking: AP Chemistry. She said, “I was initially scared to take that class because I was told by upperclassmen that the class is extremely difficult. While AP Chemistry is hard, it is also very hard to fail that class. The topics that we learn are also very interesting and Mrs. Newman is always willing to help out if we have any questions or don’t understand the material.” Francesca’s favorite grade in high school was tenth grade as it brought new friends into her life: “I became friends with some of the seniors that year and it was always really nice to be able to talk to them and get advice on different topics.”
There are always a number of fun senior events that happen each year, and for Francesca she is most looking forward to senior sunset. She shared, “My senior year has been my most difficult year of high school, so I’m excited to be able to celebrate all the hardships I persevered through to get to that moment.” The difficulty of her senior year came from the long and tiring college application process: “First semester, the college application process was stressful because while I was writing a ton of essays and filling out the Common App, I still had homework and other activities I needed to focus on. Second semester has been a bit less stressful though while I have already applied to colleges, there are still scholarship applications I am working on. Receiving positive news from schools has, however, been really exciting and made the whole process worth it.”
As for many seniors, Francesca is feeling a mix of emotions as her graduation date approaches. She said, “I really enjoyed my time at BT and I will miss this school greatly once I graduate. I am a bit nervous about going to college since I don’t know what to expect but I am also excited to be able to take classes in topics that really interest me.” 
Her advice for underclassmen was an especially important one: “Enjoy life and live in the moment because your high school years will fly by faster than you know it. You should also take advantage of every opportunity that is presented to you; even if it means you might fail, you should still go for it.”
