Seniors at Eagle High only have a handful of days left in the hallways they’ve been roaming for four years, and many of them are traveling out-of-state for college. Being away from home for the first time can be scary, but a couple of students who are, are ready for this new adventure.
Senior Cole Gonser is traveling more than 2,000 miles to New York City, New York. He will be attending Pace University. Moving far from home can be intimidating but Gonser is grateful for this opportunity.
“Out-of-state was the best option for me because there’s a lot of new opportunities and new people to meet,” he said. “The college is really cool because it’s directly in the city.”
According to SCOIR, Pace University offers bachelor’s, associate and certificate degrees and its popular majors include business management and marketing, visual and performing arts and health professions. It offers 106 fields of study and has a 76% acceptance rate.
Gonser visited the campus in early January and fell in love with the college.
“When I went there for the first time, I got to be there for the first snow of the season,” Gonser said. “I’m going back solo for orientation in July.”
Flying solo can be nerve-racking but it can also be a good opportunity to imagine what the upcoming years will look like.
Packing for the next few years of one’s life creates a long shopping list to complete before the next school year.
“I’ve started preparing a little bit. My mom has definitely been on me, but I mostly need to buy housing supplies for the dorm,” Gonser said.
Another student traveling to a new state and city is senior Makenzie Owens. She will be moving 560 miles away to Grand Junction, Colorado to attend Colorado Mesa University.
Owens is currently playing on the Eagle High varsity softball team and is continuing her time on the field at Colorado Mesa.
“I’m going to this college for softball because they have a really good team to play in,” Owens said. “I was also really impressed by the exercise science program, the weather and the scholarship money that I’m receiving”
According to SCOIR, Colorado Mesa University offers bachelor’s, associate and certificate degrees with their most popular majors including health professions, business and management marketing and mechanic and repair technologies. It has 124 fields of study and an 82% acceptance rate.
Both schools, Pace and Colorado Mesa, provide an assortment of intriguing opportunities for these two students and they are ready to start their new educational careers.
“I’m excited, but also a little sad to leave my friends,” Gonser said. “But I know I can always reach out to them.”
While it will be sad to move away from Idaho and Eagle High, friends and family will continue to support students going out-of-state, even from far distances. There are many more seniors at Eagle High moving out-of-state who will be living new and exciting lives at their college of choice.
