Section 1 - Initial Letter
Entering this year I have so many emotions. Anxiety, excitement, fear, joy, etc. I am already an anxious person, and when you are constantly bombarded by people telling you that this is your last high school year, make the most of it, and that everything is about to change, you start to panic just a bit. The more people say it the harder it hits: after this year, things change. Change is scary. As of now, I do not feel prepared for the future. I am also excited, I know senior year will fly by however I am ready to participate in every rally, dance, sports game, etc. I am also excited for my classes, though I have strange opt out periods, I have a good opportunity to learn more. I want to re-dedicate myself to my academics and work hard. I hate the feeling of getting decent grades and knowing that I could have put in the work to improve them. It's not that I don't have the time or materials, I just have an issue starting. And therefore, this year I want to focus more on self motivation. I am also looking forward to basketball season. It in itself is a motivator for me to stay in shape and active, which in turn helps me feel better overall. This year, specifically through the leadership program, I hope to grow my relationships and meet new people. In addition I want to build on my skills of communication, critical thinking, and work ethic to better assist me in the future. I can’t wait to meet more of the freshmen, and watch them grow throughout this year. When I look at them, I have a sort of Deja Vu. I swear I was just a freshman, stressing about the first day, so excited to attend my first football game. Now look where we are. Overall I am so ready to have a full normal year of high school.
Section 2 - Favorite Quotes
- The following quotes are a reminder that today is here, yesterday is gone, and tomorrow is not given, therefore you must be present in the current moment in order to live life to the fullest. Your actions speak louder than words, and you are the only one that could stop yourself. You hold so much more control over your life than anyone else and if you do not harness that power/ability then you essentially screw yourself over.
- “Learn as if you will live forever, live like you will die tomorrow.” — Mahatma Gandhi
- “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” — Will Rogers
- “The only one who can tell you “you can’t win” is you and you don’t have to listen.” —Jessica Ennis
- “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Learn as if you will live forever, live like you will die tomorrow.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Section 3 - Quote
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” ―Confucius
- To me, this quote talks of going into every day with all your heart and best efforts, but also to bring your kindness, joy, and light wherever you go. I think it's important to remember that, after everything is said and done, people remember how you make them feel. Not your specific words or actions, but the feeling that you evoked within them. So while being in leadership again this year, I knew I wanted to make people feel supported and encouraged. I know we all have days where we don't even believe in ourselves, and because of this I supported my peers with the hope that they would know they always have someone. This extends beyond the leadership class as well. I see no good reason to make anyone feel less than, and in the end you will just bring yourself down too.
Section 4 - Goals (Part l)
- Leadership:
- I will persist through challenges/stress to put my best foot forward in order to support my team and be successful this year.
- I will work to always communicate with my team in order to ensure understanding throughout our team, and thus the most successful year possible.
- Short Term
- I will focus on living in the moment, instead of the past or worrying about the future.
- I will get into a college of my liking.
- Long Term
- I will take time and thoughtful consideration when deciding what to do with my future, and it will be my decision, no one else’s.
- I will be patient with my learning and growth as I leave high school and go into college/my future.
Section 5 - Goals (Part ll)
Leadership:
- Goal: I will persist through challenges/stress to put my best foot forward in order to support my team and be successful this year.
Reflection: So far this year through all the trials and tribulations, I have never given up. I am proud of myself for that. And even when it was extremely difficult I found myself relying on my team and communicating with them. I felt comfortable enough to be honest when I needed help and I think that helped me be successful with this goal. - Goal I will work to always communicate with my team in order to ensure understanding throughout our team, and thus the most successful year possible. Reflection: No matter what was going on in my personal life, or at school, I always communicated with my team and vice versa. I truly believe that this led for a successful year with a strong foundation of trust.
- Goal: I will focus on living in the moment, instead of the past or worrying about the future.
Reflection: I am still working on this one. No matter how hard I try to focus on living in the moment I always find my mind wandering. But I have learned that it is not impossible, and that it is something I can continue to work on. - Goal: I will get into a college of my liking.
Reflection: I pushed myself to apply in person at Southern Oregon University, and I am so glad I did. I fell in love with the campus, the people, and the town of Ashland. I am so excited to essentially live there for the next four years.
- Goal: I will take time and thoughtful consideration when deciding what to do with my future, and it will be my decision, no one else’s.
Reflection: I think that, so far, I have actually been super successful with this. As far as deciding on a college, I am so excited to go to SOU. And to build on that, even though I don't know exactly what I want to do with my life, I am super excited to pursue psychology. - Goal: I will be patient with my learning and growth as I leave high school and go into college/my future.
Reflection: This is such a big goal. I have been patient with myself, working on a positive mindset and self-talk. But this is not something that happens overnight, and I am still working on it everyday. With the fear of the unknown it becomes especially hard to be patient with myself because I sometimes interpret my panic and vulnerability as weakness. However I have never truly been weak, needing support or whatever it may be, does not make me weak. And I believe that my realization of that only makes me stronger.
Section 6 - Magazine Cover |
Section 7 - People Magazine Article |
Emily Sesser is currently a senior at Ripon High School, graduating with the class of 2023. She loves nature and wants to learn about all walks of life. Because of this, Emily is an aspiring traveler. Emily also has an interest in psychology, hoping to earn her degree in psychology before she starts traveling full time. Emily grew up in a family of four, with one sibling, a younger sister, and hopes to continue to travel with her family occasionally after college. Though she does not have a dream school, Emily hopes to study in either Oregon or Washington because of the peaceful climate and breathtaking scenery. She has grown up with severe anxiety and because of this one of her major goals is to learn how to find beauty and simplicity in a life that is ever changing. Emily hopes to one day help others navigate what she had to figure out by herself. Even if she helps one person, that would make all the difference to her. |
Section 8 - Role Model
Though she may not know it, my sister, Grace Sesser is one of my biggest role models. Through thin and through thin she has stuck by my side and been my biggest supporter. She inspires me to always persevere because she has overcome so many obstacles in her life and still lives with a smile on her face every day. From our dutch runs, day trips, and breakfast excursions she is my best friend. She went through a very dark patch and it was excruciating to watch. But I tried my best to be there for her through everything and she came out the other side stronger than ever. She is loyal, kind, hilarious, and sometimes dramatic. I don't know another person that could make the entire dinner table cry of laughter at an awkward extended family dinner. She has such a passion for everyone and everything she loves, from our dog to her favorite bands. I had the opportunity to go see Stray Kids with her and my mom, which happened to be one of her all time favorite groups. I will never forget the utter joy and excitement on her face the entire show. A few months later we got to see the Lumineers, my favorite band, together as a family. I wouldn't have wanted to experience such an incredible night with anyone else. I was sobbing tears of joy the entire time and through it all she was right there by my side.
|
Section 9 - Inner Animal
|
Section 10 - The Best Things About Me
Section 11 - The Impact of Sound and Words
Say we'll get married on a porch in Vegas
We can get hitched and have a couple of kids And none of them will look at all like us And our neighbors will all be a bit too much And you'll live out in the desert with a man you never loved Is this it? What you want? What you wanted? Do you need love? Am I enough for you? In time you'll find I've got my baggage too Say we'll get famous and we'll die with our names In every paper, every news report is any consolation To the people that you love and all the people that you hate But will love you all the same, because you're beautiful Say you didn't see it, that I saw right through you Say you didn't mean it that I mean nothing to you Like you said Do you believe me? That I'll be right for you Say you love me like you used to We were born splaying in the wreckage Buried down on birds with stones Bore my weight upon your shoulders Water as warm as morning suns I don't think quite like I used to I got a bed to call my own I see stars and painted lies Broken glass upon your road Now I'm driving home too soon Say you love me like you used to And we'll vacation first class I'm breaking your fall You're breaking my ass You're working all day Hating on all the bitches at work You say you're ok You're faking, fucked up Drinking all day, you give me a cup And I'll be damned if we can make it out of this alive, baby I say I'll be damned if we can make it out of this alive But is this what you want? What you wanted? Do you need love? Am I enough for you? In time you'll find I've got my baggage too Oh, and say we'll get famous and we'll die with our names In every paper, every news report is any consolation To the people that you love and all the people that you hate But we'll love you all the same, because you're beautiful Say you didn't see it, that I saw right through you Say you didn't mean it that I mean nothing to you Like you said do you believe me? That I'll be right for you Say you love me like you used to Say you love me like you used to And we'll vacation first class I'm breaking your fall You're breaking my ass You're working all day Hating on all the bitches at work You say you're ok You're faking F***ed up Drinking all day, you give me a cup And I'll be damned if we can make it out of this alive, baby I say I'll be damned if we can make it out of this alive But is this what you want? What you wanted? Do you need love? Am I enough for you? In time you'll find I've got my baggage too Say we'll get married on a porch in Vegas We can get hitched and have a couple of kids |
First Class - Rainbow Kitten Surprise To me this song has a few different lessons, so-to-speak. I think this song discusses the fact that growing to see the faults of your ‘heros’ is painful, and putting more into relationships than the other person is painful. But it's not like a sharp pain, more like a constant sorrow filled pain, I'm not sure how else to describe it. One of the repeated lines is “say you love me, like you used to” I take this as reminiscing on a changed relationship, one where it has changed for the worse not the better. Not that something necessarily happened between you but, as I mentioned, you grew to see their faults. There is another song I love and part of it says “I'm standing too close, I can see the brush strokes.” - ICU Phoebe Bridgers. When you grow and learn to see different perspectives you can come to see faults in things you once thought were perfect. I have had this happen in a couple relationships in my life, and though its painful, often times its for the best. |
Section 12 - HOCO 2022 - Photo Gallery
Section 13 - What I Like Best About Being a Member of Leadership
- After we were working on a project at April's house, the senior officers took an adventure to Salida to take Bri home. I volunteered to drive, and we left around 8:30/9:00. It was plenty dark by this time and when we finally exited the freeway she told me to take a right. We proceeded straight for a while, next she told me “turn left between the smoke shop and La Familia Market.” I genuinely thought she was joking, but of course in true Bri fashion, she was not. So I turned and not long after that we reached her dads place. And before she got out of the car she cracked another joke about her neighbors being cannibals, so all in all let's just say it was quite the trip.
- A couple months ago we had a workday period, so I was just sitting working on some homework when Mina came up to me. He asked if he could show me something on my computer, and of course I said yes. So he took my computer and turned it away from me so I couldn't see what he was doing. Next thing I know he has his own website pulled up. He had scrolled to the role model section in his portfolio. I was his role model. As I sat there and read about how I had unknowingly made such a positive impact on someone else, I started to cry. I don’t think Mina will ever truly know how much that meant to me. He is truly one of my favorite people in this entire world.
- Core camp. That is a memory that will always stick with me. The entire experience was so special, and I am so thankful I got to experience it with some of my best friends. I have always been an inherently nervous and anxious person, so going into core camp, away from home with people I didn’t really know that well at the time, was terrifying. But through the core, job, and general sessions, the beach day, meal times, and even my roommates, I've made bonds that I am forever grateful for.
Section 14 - A Reflection of a Peer in Leadership
I have known Kenz for a very long time, since we used to play rec basketball when we were like six. She has always been kind, strong and selfless. It has been incredible to watch her grow into such an incredible friend and leader. I am forever grateful that I have become close with her this year especially. I initially got closer to her because we were both in the program, but since we started hanging out outside of school, she has become one of the people I trust the most…even though she is constantly losing her phone.
|
Section 15 - Photo Gallery
Section 16 - Things I Love <3
These pictures are a few of the people that bring me joy, and the others are some of my favorite places. Something I have been working on in the past four years, was finding my people. I absolutely love the people I surround myself with now, they constantly make me laugh and feel so safe. My other love is traveling. I have traveled since I was a baby and everywhere you go there is something new to see and/or experience. It never gets old. I also love how beautiful mother nature is. Out of all the states I've been to, Oregon is my absolute favorite. I am going to Southern Oregon University, and I couldn't be more excited. From the coast, sunny and sandy beaches, to the mountains, lush and green forests with rolling hills, I love all of it.
Section 17 - Letter to Parents
Dear Mom and Dad,
These past four years have been a roller coaster, to say the least, and I am so thankful to say I have had you both by my side through all of it. You are great parents, this has become more apparent since Grace started high school. Mom, you are so patient with her, and no matter how many times she breaks that patience, you always come back and continue to try your best to help her with whatever is currently on her plate. You always stand up for her, giving it your all day after day. And Dad, though you may not be as patient, you still stick with her through everything. I am so grateful that you shared your passion and love for all of your little hobbies, for example camping, lanterns, and stickers, with Grace and I. I can't even begin to express how incredible my childhood memories are, from shaking maracas all the way down the Damnation trail to Dad helping us build a make-shift slide out of snow behind our trailer when we unexpectedly woke up to a white out. The list goes on and on, each memory stronger and more bright than the last. I think I can count the number of basketball games you guys missed on one hand, and even then you were watching the live stream. Thank you for always showing up and cheering me on. I will always cherish walking down the court with you guys on senior night. Thank you for always being willing to go to the extremes for both me and Grace. I love you both so much. |
Section 18 - The Letter
Dear future Senior Class Admin,
Next year you will be challenged and put in different situations that will test your patience and poise, however I have complete confidence that you will kill it! No matter what happens, remember to have confidence in your own abilities and your team. Also throughout the year obstacles will pop up, both for you and your team, but remember to have open communication with your team and don't be afraid to ask for help. As long as you stay on top of dates, and communicate with your team, you guys will do amazing!
Sincerely,
Emily
Next year you will be challenged and put in different situations that will test your patience and poise, however I have complete confidence that you will kill it! No matter what happens, remember to have confidence in your own abilities and your team. Also throughout the year obstacles will pop up, both for you and your team, but remember to have open communication with your team and don't be afraid to ask for help. As long as you stay on top of dates, and communicate with your team, you guys will do amazing!
Sincerely,
Emily
Section 19 - Do's and Don'ts
Do's
- Have open communication with your team and advisor. - Have patience with yourself. - Keep on top of dates, especially with procedure forms. - Remember to cherish EVERY moment, senior year goes by faster than you can blink. |
Don'ts
- Procrastinate procedure forms. - Forget to attach a picture to your purchase orders. - Forget to take care of yourself. - Forget to participate in everything you can. |
Section 20 - Contact List
Kerry
IZA Design Contact
[email protected]
Jorge
Trailer Contact
[email protected]
Mike
Savemart Manager & Shopping Cart Contact
(209) 599 - 3355
Jandy
RHS Cafeteria Contact
[email protected]
IZA Design Contact
[email protected]
Jorge
Trailer Contact
[email protected]
Mike
Savemart Manager & Shopping Cart Contact
(209) 599 - 3355
Jandy
RHS Cafeteria Contact
[email protected]
Section 21 - The Professional
Two important skills that we have worked on this year are organization and communication. We have directly worked on organization through every activity and event. If you are not organized, you more than likely will fail. From paperwork to planning, even scheduling meetings and executing events, each needs a certain level of organization to succeed. As Senior Class Admin, it is so important to be on top of all paperwork and dates. This includes everything from the check list in procedure forms, to turning in POs on time so that your class can order and receive the proper materials online. The second important skill I want to touch on is communication. Throughout this year I have learned the importance of good communication in all situations. Starting at core camp, and even before then, I began building relationships and bonds with the leadership class and at the base of each of those relationships is solid communication. In times of stress and struggle, whether that be as a class or in your personal life, communicating with your team will help resolve possible conflicts and relieve stress on you as an individual. Your team is there to support you and I know from experience that when you communicate your issues with your team, they will help you in whatever way they can.
Section 22 - Reflection
- This year I truly believe that I have grown so much as a leader and an individual. At the beginning of the year I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and because of that I was so scared and intimidated. However, through relying on my team and pushing myself to learn the ropes, I have succeeded. If you would have told Emily from junior year, that I was getting 100% on procedure forms, taking 3 AP classes, a team captain for basketball, and still working, I probably would have laughed at you. Not to say that I wasn't capable, but I was definitely struggling to find my balance in life. I don’t have it all figured out, however I am proud of how far I have come. I have learned how there are times to rely on others for support, and times where you have to be the one that steps up, as well as how essential communication and patience are. For next year's senior class officers, not just admin, I want you all to keep in mind that you are all just human. You will each make mistakes and struggle at certain points, I encourage you each to practice patience and kindness towards each other. If you have a strong team foundation it will be easier to rely on each other, listen to each other's ideas, and in the end, you will be more successful. This will be your year, just remember to push yourselves and your peers.
Section 23 - The Ideal Leader
I believe an ideal leader is one who not only takes the lead on projects but also acts as the backbone to support your fellow peers and advisors. I think that the best leaders are those who are aware of what others need as well, and do their best to help in any way possible. In order to be successful it is important that your foundation is strong. I also think leaders should be kind, patient, assertive, and open-minded. A leader who owns and applies these qualities will rise past any challenges and succeed. In groups the person who is assertive by also supportive, is not only distinguished as the leader but they are also respected.