Our Five-year Plans

What are your plans after high school?

By Lakia Anderson

Staff Writer

What do you plan on doing after high school? It seems to be the question asked by all the students at Crotona Academy High School. After finishing high school, you have to determine where your life is going to go in the near future. It is a very big decision. The moves you make will determine how your life plays out--whether it be a good or bad outcome. Recently Crotona had a speaker come in and talk to students about being “in the game” and “making all the right decisions,” but some of us are still confused.

To get some idea about what some of the students are going to do after graduating high school, I interviewed some of the students. Yuleisi Matos, a junior at Crotona Academy, said that she plans on going to college. She said that it didn’t matter what college, but she wants to go far from the Bronx. “I‘m not ready right now, but maybe by next year I should be,” she said. Also, she explained that she thinks Crotona is doing a great job helping and preparing her for college. Yuleisi plans on getting the money for college from financial aid since she cannot pay for college herself.

I also got the chance to interview another student at Crotona, Johanna Dominguez. “I want to go to college and possibly try to get a part-time job,” she said. She also said that her Plan B would be to maybe try vocational school if college doesn’t work out for her. “I would really like to become a cop,” she said. She hopes to use financial aid to pay for college. The military is a popular place to go after high school, but Johanna said she has no plans on going to the military. Johanna said Crotona is helping her get out of high school, and she doesn’t plan on dropping out. She says that is not an option for her. So far her whole high school experience has kind of helped her prepare for college, she added. She said Crotona has helped her wake up in the morning, set a schedule, and complete homework or projects that are due.

Endaisha Stribling, a senior at Crotona, voiced her plans after high school too. “I’m going down south,” she said, explaining that it’s way cheaper to go to college down there and it’s easier for her to get a driver’s license and establish herself. “I plan to go to college to become a teacher,” she added. She said she plans to work and go to school at the same time to achieve her goal. She also has a Plan B. “If I don’t end up going down south, my plan is to go to Hunter College, but I really want to get out of the city,” she said. She also claims that the school is helping in some ways, and she likes it because they are really helping her to graduate.

In all, I think the majority of the students at Crotona Academy plan to go to college. Many kids seemed to have nothing else to do. Most of the students at Crotona already are working and have jobs. I also observed, based on my interviews, that most of them have a second plan just in case their first plan doesn’t work out. College is also expensive and most of us will be relying on the benefits of financial aid to get through college.

BFFs

Best Friends Forever

By Xylina Ortiz

Staff Writer

Best friends. We all have one. I mean, who doesn’t? That’s the title we search for in high school. The label—aka BFF for best friend forever—actually separates a person from a crowd of students. High school is supposed to be strictly educational, but of course students change it to a fun adventure with friends. Best friends can mean a variety of things. The common meaning is a good, close friendship. Here at Crotona the title “Best Friend” is given to few students. Since people see the meaning so differently, let’s see what Crotona BFFs have to say.

Quaneisha B., Najee T., and Curen S. are a trio of best friends at Crotona. They have known each other since September 2010 and they became best friends almost immediately. “Better half, my twin, my right-left hand, Hold me down, someone you rock with,” they said, giving me the definition of what best friends mean to them. They all agreed the reason they are so close is due to similarities they have—like going to parties, shopping, etc. “Mostly everything,” Curen said, adding that having many similarities kee

ps them together most of the time. “Two girls that understand me, very nice,” Curen said. She explained that one of the things she loves about Quaneisha and Najee is the fact that they have an understanding with each other that many people might not have. This created their three-way bond.

“Singing partner. She gets me. We have the same relationship issues. Curen, my cornball, we are compatible. We can never stop talking, and we can’t stay mad at each other,” Quaneisha said. She said that Curen and Najee live up to her expectations. “(I) like them cause I can talk to them, laugh out loud. They like my backbone. They’re there when you fall,” Najee said. As a group they all agreed that trust is important, and they all trust each other. They wouldn’t choose anyone else to roam around Crotona with; and since their different personalities are different but click, they wouldn’t change each other for the world. “I love them,” they said in unison. The love they feel for each other is powerful, and that’s why the trio of BFFs are together and won’t part.

Another couple of BFFs is Jazzy P. and Saadi H. They have been best friends for almost two years now and are inseparable. “My nigga, my PIC, partner in crime,” Saadi said, sharing what Jazzy means to him. She seems to agree with this. “Someone who won’t criticize me, tell me right from wrong. Someone there for me, (who holds) me down,” Jazzy said about the meaning of BFF to her.

“Someone who’s gonna show me the same respect Ima show them. Someone who’s there at my weakest moments,” Saadi said about what BFF means to him.

But what makes these two choose each other? As they both said, not every one of their friends are best friends to them. They must have a certain attraction that brings them to one another. “She don’t follow no one; she do her own thing,” Saadi said, describing what makes her stand out from the rest. Her attitude and independence are what attracted Saadi the most, he added.

“He understands me. He’s mad funny. That’s my brother,” Jazzy said.

So as you can see, a BFF is not just a friend to them, it’s someone who falls under these criteria and someone who really lives up to the expectations of what a BFF is. What makes a BFF unique and special to them is not only their characterization but also their company. “Go-out, chill, talk,” Saadi and Jazzy said, stating being together and having time to bond is also important to them.