HUMANS OF BELLAIRE Graduation Countdown – Class of 2023

“I remember I did two things during my childhood: I played a ton of LEGO Star Wars, and I remember going outside with my friends. We liked to traverse down the bayou and just mess with weird stuff that we probably shouldn't have touched.  I remember these bars across the bayous. We'd parkour across them. I also really enjoyed watching cartoons. ‘Special Agent Oso’ and ‘The Backyardigan...

“My favorite thing that I have done at Bellaire has been the spring show for the Belles because we've had one my sophomore year, my junior year and my senior year. We didn't get one my freshman year because of COVID. But the past few years have been amazing because you're going through this big show with 60 other people who all understand the stress, the craziness and the excitement of it all, l...

“My favorite childhood memory was playing outside with my friends. I used to live in a gated neighborhood growing up. It was a large area and a safe environment to make friends. We would go to the tennis court and take over the playground and play random games. It was a lot of fun. There was a bayou behind the tennis court, so we would go down there, play in all the little fields and gardens and g...

“[Jarryn Carner and I] rode the bus together last year. We would just be talking about how we’ve been here all four years, but we've never seen a big demographic of Black students uniting as one. We always saw our community fighting each other rather than uniting. We just wanted to create a safe space for Black students and show that minorities can also do stuff because a minority is a powerfu...

“I came to Texas my junior year. I was in Syracuse, New York for my sophomore year. Until my freshman year, I was in the Middle East. I was born there, but my parents migrated [from] there, and I studied there until my freshman year. All I regret is [that] I couldn't come to the U.S. earlier because that affected my GPA and stuff. I wish I could start my freshman year super fresh with a 5.0. College...

“My favorite childhood memory would be playing hide-and-go-seek with my brothers and sisters. I remember we used to hide inside this one closet in the back of the house. Every time I would get caught, I would say, ‘I'm not even playing the game anyways,’ just being a sore loser. We played for a long time. It’s something that I carry with me because it's a memory that I have with my brothers an...

“When I was in preschool, my dad used to take me to Jack in the Box every day to get curly fries. I haven't done that since kindergarten. But on my 18th birthday, I want my dad to take me to Jack in the Box to get curly fries for the first time in 15 years. It's a little scary to think that these past 13 years of required schooling are actually coming to an end. I always felt like there was this pressure to mature and prepare m...

“I joined theater [class] last year, which made everything so much more fun. I found a team and a family in the tech group, and we started something called ‘Go team.’ It's like a motto we have, so we say it all the time. Theater is [a big commitment]. I'm here all the time. I never leave. Musical season, I was here almost every Saturday. Then for UIL, I was here [during] spring break. This week, ...

“Freshman year, I had an expectation of a normal, movie-type high school [experience]. Then COVID happened sophomore year, and a lot of the people who I was friends with, all of the seniors I knew, went into a slump. It’s been a struggle to rebound junior and senior year.  COVID, it's whatever. That kind of mindset continued into last year, especially [how] you'd have your school friends and eat lunch together and everything, but you wouldn't want ...

“We had the blessing to go to Canada almost every summer. I enjoyed summer vacation with my sisters, playing with them, picking berries, waking up early. You’re just excited to start the day as a kid. I love nature. It was so pretty, and there’s family there who loves [me]. I had a good childhood.  My values come a lot from my family: honesty, laughter, being able to admit when I’m wrong, sitt...

“Senior year was the first year that I felt like I was really a high schooler. In elementary and middle school, you have this image of what high school will be like. It wasn't until senior year that that image became reality. I hang out with my friends all the time. At the beginning of the year, my friends and I all went to the Memorial City Mall. If there's a late start, we go to Target and look...

“[High school]’s been really chaotic. We started off in ninth grade in the old building. There was a year and a half of online school. Now we're in a completely new building. It's been all over the place. I feel like I didn't really learn anything during COVID. For me, it was more of just a pause, like a really long weekend.  I'm ready to leave, but I'm going to miss things. I'm going to m...

“A huge part of [my high school experience] was affected by COVID. It changed the traditional high school experience, but I think it placed more emphasis senior year. I think that was the only real year of high school that was completely undisturbed, considering freshman year was interrupted, [with] the last half online. Sophomore year was all online, and junior year was a transitional period. This...

“‘Chaotic’ is a good word to describe my high school experience. The pandemic hit my freshman year, and a lot of people don't realize that your freshman year is probably the most pivotal in terms of getting introduced to high school and finding your adult identity. It impacted me in a big way.  In middle school I [developed] issues with anxiety. [My] timidness was a result of my anxiety, and...

“So much happened [in high school]. I grew so much as a person. The [me at the] start of freshman year [and the] me now are two completely different people because I've gotten so much more open and confident in myself. At the same time, I’ve learned so much about not just academics or sports—which is what I'm known for—but also [my] mental state and how to reach a level of success. It's not as...

“I feel my experience with COVID and staying inside all day was the same as everyone else's. I stopped talking to people during my sophomore year because I didn't keep in touch with them over quarantine. When I got back junior year, I didn't really have any friends. Eventually, I was doing my homework next to a group of friends, and they [said], ‘Hey, just come and sit over here,’  and I have ...

“Overall [high school was] unimpressive. When you're in middle school, you have this grand idea of high school. I was expecting a classic ‘80s movie, but we don't even have lockers. I was a little disappointed. It's not as exciting as people think it will be. I like to read. If it's a fiction work, I like sci-fi or fantasy. If it's nonfiction, I like a lot of philosophical and psychological books. [My] reading hobby impacted me a lot because I e...

“I was very nervous coming to Bellaire [since] I didn't know too many people. I was actually supposed to go to Lamar, but then I came to Bellaire for baseball. Then, COVID [happened], and I [was] thrown back into an environment I'd never known before my sophomore year, so it was really hard to stay focused. Thankfully, baseball was still around, but with COVID regulations, you had to wear masks. I also g...

“I’ve spent all of my four years in band. It has truly shaped me into the person I am now. It’s taught me discipline, how to have fun and how to be me.  When I came to Bellaire, I was really hyperactive. Band showed me that I didn’t have to be this person the entire time. You know, you can be in some places and not others. The band director, Dr. W (Dr. Waltemath), is always in with the kids. ...

“I think high school was overall really great. I changed schools my sophomore year, and it was difficult to meet new people. My junior year, I tried branching out, and I met so many new communities and it really helped me explore my own confidence and essentially become a new person. Senior year, I got to hang out with a lot more people, and I had a great time. I was able to keep up with not only m...

“My high school experience was great. I feel like I didn't get the full experience due to COVID, quarantine and then masks coming back [to school], but I [am] glad [with] the amount of time that I got to spend. I came from Pershing Middle School. At the time, it wasn't as diverse as it is now, so I didn't meet a lot of people who shared my culture. [I] mainly grew up in a predominantly white sch...

“Overall, high school was pretty good. We had a lot of ups and downs with freshman year going into COVID, coming back to a new building and changing principals. I didn’t do anything crazy. I just went to classes and had fun with my friends. I always enjoyed BISA. Kpop Club would prepare for that for three months. Being able to help lead that group in my junior and senior years was really nice....

“I really liked high school overall. Coming in freshman year, I definitely did not know what to expect because Bellaire is such a big school. I didn't know where I would, as cheesy as it sounds, find my place. So, I just tried out a few things and joined a few clubs. I think [doing] that really built a certain community that I started to feel freshman year. However, we did become virtual in March ...

“[My high school experience] went a lot faster than I thought it would, even with quarantine. [Having] 12 hours of free time a day, I wish I did something better than lounging around at home and playing games. It was weird because freshman year was in the old building, and I didn't know what to do with myself. I just took whatever classes I wanted because I didn't expect to be valedictorian, so ...

“My high school experience was overall really fun. I got to experience a lot that I don't think I expected to experience, especially with the COVID year and growing a lot as a person throughout high school, getting to meet new people and learning new things in my classes. I also discovered what I was really interested in, which helped when choosing a major for college. Going into high school, I was really confuse...

“Honestly, during freshman year, I thought [high school] was going to be a ‘High School Musical’ type of experience, but it definitely wasn't. It involved a lot more studying than I had anticipated. Over the past few years, I have been able to discover more about myself and my passions.  Going into junior year, I didn't know I wanted to study computer science. However, I took AP CSP a...

“I liked my high school experience. Quarantine was pretty rough, but I think if anything, quarantine has taught me I shouldn't participate in more things. There's only so much time you have in high school, so you should make the most of it while you still can. Even though I was really behind, I set high standards for myself. I felt like I still needed to push through. I got into K-pop during quarant...