The 2023 Senior Experience

“Were you satisfied with your senior experience at Logan?” (Librero)

“I am pretty satisfied with my senior experience at Logan. I’m glad I got through everything and look back on my time with pride and sadness that it’s almost over” Chao said.

Chao spent her Logan career engaged with the community. Her first two years she marched with the band and played flute in the Wind Symphony. This year she was president of the Interact club and participated in other clubs such as Diversify our Narrative NHUSD. This year was her first and only year as part of ASB Senior Cabinet as 2023 Class Representative. Among many other impressive accomplishments, Chao was recognized as the Class of 2023 Salutatorian.

“What made it fun and enjoyable for you?” (Librero)

“Participating in so many new activities made senior year fun and enjoyable for me because I got to meet new people and strengthen my relationships with my friends,” Chao said. 

Chao, in several ways, found opportunities to get involved with the school and her classmates. She attended the class section at football games in the fall to support the school’s team and socialize with her class. Chao also helped run several senior activities. In the Spring, she participated in the senior skit and played one of the roles. 

“What made it not so enjoyable for you?” (Librero)

“It was honestly super stressful at times because I had to juggle so many different things at once: class, homework, extracurriculars, family, personal life, and college applications. And sometimes I struggled to find the willpower to even get out of bed to go to school,” Chao said. 

Maintaining a healthy balance between college applications, AP classes, personal life, and other stressors is not always the easiest task, especially as a senior. 

“What should the admin/leadership/anyone at Logan do to improve the senior experience for future seniors?” (Librero)

“As someone who is a part of leadership, I’ve seen how it is for the people working behind the scenes for these events but I’ve also heard the reception from those outside of leadership. One thing I would improve is the communication between the two parties. Sometimes what we choose does not reflect what the majority wants, making the events less enjoyable for people,” Chao said. 

Leadership takes a huge role in organizing these events. Seniors communicating their preferences to the organizers for these events may be beneficial for future generations. This can help ensure the enjoyment of future activities. 

“What is one thing you will treasure the most out of your Logan experience?” (Librero)

“What I will treasure the most about my Logan experience is the relationships I have developed with the people around me: friends, teachers, etc.” Chao said. 

Chao will further her education at UC Irvine and major in Computer Engineering.

Alex Gonzales, a three-year Logan band member, swim athlete, and Logan Live contributor speaks on his experience his last year at Logan. 

“Were you satisfied with your senior experience at Logan?”

“I would have to be satisfied with my senior year because it’s coming close to the end, it was definitely not everything I imagined but yet something entirely different, entirely new, yet equally as important and vital in my life compared to what I imagined”

Though Gonzales’ experiences may not have lived up to his expectations, the experiences themselves are valuable to him.

“What made it fun and enjoyable for you?”

“Admiring my teachers and keeping in touch with good mentors such as Mr. Seaton, Ms. Chakrabarti, Mr. Stewart etc.. Staying active and out of the house with new friends and peeps. My girlfriend. Learning how to be a responsible driver and chauffeur for friends and loved ones, and honestly everything in between the serious moments has made my senior year,” Gonzales said. 

Having made good connections with people at Logan, whether it be teachers, students, friends, or mentors, Gonzales continues to keep in touch with those people that bring him joy and good memories. 

“What made it not so enjoyable for you?” 

“Working on applications throughout all of the first semester and receiving rejection. Grades falling because of poor time management. Overloading on extracurriculars that I could not uphold,” Gonzales said. “Yeah that was definitely negative, along with family stuff, like people passing away,” he said. 

For many, applying for college can be nerve-wracking. The amount of time and effort put into an application, amidst other things, like sports, and personal life can be overwhelming. 

“What should the admin/leadership/anyone at Logan do to improve the senior experience for future seniors?” 

“I think more workshops and help for college admissions and writing the personal responses because it takes a lot of capacity to do these things,” Gonzales said. 

Implementing more workshops may be a great aid to the seniors as college applications are tedious. That is something to consider for teachers in the future. 

“What is one thing you will treasure the most out of your Logan experience?” 

“In my experience at Logan, I learned that you need to take everything with a grain of salt, and go on with ease,” Gonzales said. “At Logan we have the luxury to look at all these different opportunities, it is important to prioritize some and learn your capacity: you can’t do it all, but you can certainly succeed each year by focusing on a few of your top priorities,” he said. “So yeah, be gentle with yourself. Each class is challenging so give yourself the space and capacity to be challenged, not unhealthily overwhelmed.”

Gonzales will be attending Ohlone in hopes of pursuing a career in environmental studies.

“What made it fun and enjoyable for you?” 

“There were a lot of senior activities. And I got the help that I needed when applying for colleges. I also got out of my shell and started to push myself,”  Soto-Torres  said. 

Soto-Torres explained reaching out for guidance to write college essays was something out of his comfort, but was in his best interest. As well as auditioning for programs outside of school, such as the Blue Devils, a renowned performing arts program. 

“What made it not so enjoyable for you?” 

“Honestly, personal struggles. It’s hard to push myself but I think bad days are natural so it’s not something I am really upset about,” Soto-Torres said. 

Dreadful moments are bound to happen, not only in school, but in everyday life. Moments like these are not something for Soto-Torres to be discouraged about. 

“What should the admin/leadership/anyone at Logan do to improve the senior experience for future seniors?”

“I think having more senior get-togethers would be nice. It wouldn’t be where people just hang out with their friends, but there would be icebreakers so people can get to know their graduating class,” Soto-Torres said. 

Students tend to gravitate towards their friends out of comfort. However, implementing more activities to bring students out of their social bubbles and encourage them to meet new classmates may bring a better sense of collectivism within the senior class.

“What is one thing you will treasure the most out of your Logan experience?” 

“For me, it is definitely band. I am very involved with band, so it is something that I know I will cherish forever,” Soto-Torres said. 

Soto-Torres spent all years as a band member and took a huge responsibility as an instrument section leader his final year. With numerous rehearsals, marching shows, performances, and other band events, he made many cherished memories.

“I don’t think there is anything like performing your first show for the last time. It’s that moment where you’ve accomplished things you never thought you could,” Soto-Torres said. 

Soto-Torres plans to continue his studies in Biotechnology at Cal Poly Pomona. 

Our 2022-2023 James Logan Cheer Caption, Janice He, summarizes her best parts of senior year. 

“What made it fun and enjoyable for you?” 

“Having my team and being a four-year senior on the Cheer team made it really fun because I built my team and made a good bond with them throughout the years. It made it really fun and a reason for me to be happy,” He said. 

Being a member of a team, especially the captain of a team, can be a huge responsibility, however,  it is rewarding. And for He, it came joy. She created close friendships within the team and that is something she does not take for granted. 

“I had really good teachers and members in the Link Crew,” He said. “They really helped make sure everybody felt welcomed and safe,” He said. 

He was happy to have joined Link Crew because it turned out to be a great experience. He was also a team member on the Badminton team. 

“It was a pleasurable experience as teammates in badminton are always very supportive and have great demeanors,” She said. “I really appreciate the bonds I have created throughout the senior year and it made me really happy and loving of the people around me,” He said.

“What is some advice for future seniors next year?” (Librero)

“Definitely try to stay on top of your work because senioritis will hit. Not to slack off just because you can, but still enjoy high school before it is done because it will be gone very quickly.  And making the most of it while still focusing on school even though it’s your last year as a teenager. 

Graduating is your top priority,” He said.