Pinkerton seniors share how pandemic, strange world changed them
Apr. 13—DERRY — A few months before the end of eighth grade, this year's high school seniors found themselves finishing classes at home during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
During their freshman year, many from the Class of 2024 found themselves in hybrid classes, sometimes learning at home again.
Right now, more than 12,000 students in New Hampshire, including 750 from Derry's Pinkerton Academy, are on track to graduate in June — many leaving home for school or new challenges.
At a recent school-sponsored career fair, eight Pinkerton students shared how a chaotic world changed their lives — and aspirations.
"It changed my approach to life because I just didn't take anything for granted," said senior Aleah Patnaude of Derry.
Sumana Anand
17, of Derry
Q: Best high school memory?
A: "Performing in theater with all my friends. It's kind of where I found who I was and all my best friends do theater as well."
Q: Next step toward a career?
A: Going to the University of Connecticut to become a lawyer.
Q: A cool thing you want to accomplish in your life?
A: "I want to have a mini-concert of my own. I produce my own album and I release music and stuff, so I want to be able to perform on a stage with my own original music."
Anand sings and plays piano.
Q: When do you think you will be able to afford to buy a house?
A: "Maybe in the next five years after I get out of college ... We'll see. The housing prices are kind of insane right now."
Q: How have the past few years changed your approach to life?
A: "I've definitely become more self-aware, I think, and I've had to really concentrate on what a solid relationship looks like. With the pandemic and being so far away from everyone, especially over the screen, staying in touch became so important, maintaining those friendships, so finding other ways to hang out or to connect with people in your school is so important.
"That's why I kind of joined so many clubs after the pandemic ... I really wanted to get to know my school community."
Josh Jones
18, of Hampstead
Q: Best high school memory?
A: "I'll probably say last year, because I play baseball, was playing in the state championship game and coming three outs away from winning the state championship. It was an electric atmosphere. It was amazing. Probably one of the most hyped games that I've ever played in .... Everything happens for a reason. It makes you a stronger person."
Q: Next step toward a career?
A: Going to Mitchell College in Connecticut to play baseball and major in kinesiology# muscle mass connection.
Q: A cool thing you want to accomplish in your life?
A: "I'm a man of God, so I'm a believer in Jesus Christ. I like to spread the Gospel and tell everyone the good news. So a cool thing would be to probably tell as many people as I can about the Gospel."
Q: When do you think you will be able to afford to buy a house?
A: "No clue. Whatever God has in store for me."
Q: How have the past few years changed your approach to life?
A: "It definitely brought me closer to God, which I noticed that before I wasn't as close, which therefore I had more anxiety, more trouble with little things. But with COVID kind of bringing me more to Jesus, it made me realize I can just put all my anxiety, all my fears or whatnot, everything that I'm struggling with on Him, and because of that, I believe everything happens for a reason. I don't think of a bad situation, being like, 'Oh my gosh. Why me?' It's all a learning experience. You got to find out the message."
Aleah Patnaude
18, of Derry
Q: Best high school memory?
A: "Honestly, meeting so many people these past four years. I feel like I've accomplished so much in my life and I feel very honored to be able to make it to senior year."
Q: Next step toward a career?
A: Attend beauty school to learn aesthetics and eventually open my own business.
Q: A cool thing you want to accomplish in your life?
A: "I want to accomplish a business. I want to be able to support myself, just with my own money and be able to be financially stable at a young age."
Q: When do you think you will be able to afford to buy a house?
A: "I want to have a house before 25."
Q: How have the past few years changed your approach to life?
A: "I didn't get an eighth-grade graduation. And I would say that has impacted me a lot through my whole high school. Just like with the whole hybrid thing (freshman year), like either staying home, not doing my work at all, or coming into school and wearing a mask. It wasn't the same as it is now ... It changed my approach to life because I just didn't take anything for granted. Like I feel I could have lost so much."
Liam Ward
18, of Derry
Q: Best high school memory?
A: "I do a lot of activities with my ROTC class. So we'll go out and we'll clean up highways, we'll have different parties or just different gatherings of building family and different levels of trust with people. That would definitely be my favorite part of high school so far."
Q: Next step toward a career?
A: "Finding a good job or going into the Air Force."
Q: A cool thing you want to accomplish in your life?
A: "Have my own thing going ... I just want to have my own whatever it is: company or job, but I've always had my heart set on the Air Force."
Q: When do you think you will be able to afford to buy a house?
A: "Hopefully by (age) 23 or 24."
Q: How have the past few years changed your approach to life?
A: "It made me more aware of my actions and how I choose to answer to certain things."
Matthew Tellier
18, of Auburn
Q: Best high school memory?
A: "I think my best high school memory is this year during Mack Plaque when we won and just a lot of energy in the field. (Mack Plaque is the annual fall athletic competition between Pinkerton and Londonderry High teams.)
Q: Next step toward a career?
A: Pick up a trade, perhaps as an electrician. Going to Manchester School of Technology.
Q: A cool thing you want to accomplish in your life?
A: "I want to own my own business."
Q: When do you think you will be able to afford to buy a house?
A: "When I move somewhere else."
Q: How have the past few years changed your approach to life?
A: "It hasn't really changed anything. It was a big difference a couple years ago, but now it's back to normal, so I don't feel that anything has really changed."
Tyler Davila
17, of Derry
Q: Best high school memory?
A: "When I was at prom, it was a fun time even though it went pretty late. I kind of worked up the courage later on in the night to go to the dance floor with my girlfriend. We were dancing and had a real good time."
Q: Next step toward a career?
A: Trying to go into graphic design and planning to attend Manchester Community College.
"It saves a lot of money and I've heard a lot of good things about MCC's graphic design program."
Q: A cool thing you want to accomplish in your life?
A: "I hope to make some sort of art piece just as a personal project that could kind of touch people some day."
Q: When do you think you will be able to afford to buy a house?
A: "I have no idea. I do know that the housing market is pretty bad right now, but I'm optimistic that things can still get better. I don't want to give up just yet."
Q: How have the past few years changed your approach to life?
A: "I definitely like that I've changed a lot over the last four years because a lot has changed. School got a lot tougher for me ever since a lot of things got a lot more remote and digital, so I really have changed my approach. I was one of the kids that really started to struggle with it, but I've been able to make some good progress."
Marin Lackmann
17, of Candia
Q: Best high school memory?
A: Working on earning a licensed nursing assistant degree and going to clinicals.
Q: Next step toward a career?
A: Attending the University of New England for pediatric occupational therapy.
Q: A cool thing you want to accomplish in your life?
A: "Work with kids. To make a difference in the world and help kids with disabilities adapt to everyday life."
Q: How have the past few years changed your approach to life?
A: "I've just kind of been more grateful for everything life has to offer because I try not to take as much for granted anymore because there's a lot of kids that don't have the same opportunity as I do. So I just try to savor the moment and live in the moment more."
Mashal Khan
17, of Derry
Q: Best high school memory?
A: "Probably Mack Plaque this year when we won.... We had this war (game) going on last year. It was like with a toy gun," similar to water guns, played off school grounds.
Q: Next step toward a career?
A: NHTI for mechanical engineering
Q: A cool thing you want to accomplish in your life?
A: "Own my own business and retire my parents.... Set them up, so they don't have to do any bills or anything."
Q: How have the past few years changed your approach to life?
A: "Not really, because I wasn't old enough to understand too much of it. It didn't really affect me. I still went outside and played."
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Note: Students' responses were lightly edited.
