TDHS Alumni Guide Seniors: Embrace Risks, Manage Time, and Thrive in College
The Dalles High School alumni speak to TDHS seniors about their college experience in the TDHS Library.
By Stephanie Bowen
The Dalles, OR, January 12, 2024 – College. Come January, it’s on the minds of teens across the country as student applications roll out and college letters start rolling back in.
In an effort to guide this year's seniors through the exciting yet challenging transition to college life barreling towards our coming grads, the staff at Dalles High School (TDHS) recently called in a little help. And what better help than that of those currently living the experience…
On Friday, 14 recent graduates filled the high school library to take part in a College Panel, aimed at helping prepare the next round of Riverhawk Seniors to take flight into the next phase of lives
The returning TDHS graduates represented a diverse range of colleges, from Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC), to Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT), Harvard, and Brown University. The panelists, all of whom volunteered their time during their winter breaks, covered various aspects of college life, offering valuable advice, answering questions, and reflecting on their own lessons learned.
“Right off the bat, what I wanted to tell you guys is to take risks. I didn’t think I was going to get in {to Harvard}. I almost didn’t apply, but I was like, you know what, I might as well - and I got in. So yeah, take risks” said TDHS graduate Yahir Santillan, urging TDHS seniors to start taking action now. Santillan is currently a Junior at Harvard studying Economics and Environmental Science.
The panel coverece a wide variety of topics including navigating their day-to-day experiences of life in the dorms to the intricacies of navigating friendships and roommates (both good and bad).
Throughout Riverhawk alumni offered nuggets of advice and inspiration. A few topics, like learning time management and taking advantage of campus resources, bubbled to the top.
The graduates spoke passionately about their own growth during their college years and highlighted the significance of embracing new opportunities to broaden one's horizons. Sophie Lewis, a Freshman and Oregon State, talked about her time studying abroad, while others took the opportunity to recount lessons learned, like paying attention to transfer credits.
The College Panels served as an invaluable resource for the current TDHS seniors, offering a glimpse into the realities of college life and providing practical advice to help them thrive in the upcoming chapter of their education. The event not only fostered a sense of connection between current students and alumni but also underscored the ongoing support system provided by The Dalles High School team like the ASPIRE Program and AP and Dual Enrollment Courses.
As the seniors prepare for the next phase of their academic journeys, the lessons and insights shared by the returning graduates will undoubtedly serve as a source of inspiration and guidance, setting the stage for a successful transition to college life.
The Dalles High School alumni speak to TDHS seniors about their college experience in the TDHS Library.
Some advice and wisdom shared by TDHS alumni:
“Don’t leave everything to the last minute.”
“Start preparing now. Whether it’s scholarships, letters of recommendations, or applications, start now”
“Don’t study the night before an exam.”
“Figure out how to study, what the best way for you to study is.”
“Academics are important, you as a person are more important.”
“Learn how to sleep - don’t stay up on your phone until midnight. You aren’t going to do well in class if you are tired.”
“Get the extension if you need it.”
“Even if you think you don’t really want to go to college, think about trade school, think of any form of higher education. You don’t necessarily have to go to college to be successful, but think about investing in something that will set you up for a successful future.”
“You’ve got to take care of your mental health”
“Go for ASPIRE, they will help you through everything you need to do to apply”
“Learn Time Management Skills. Learn not to procrastinate, get your work done”
“Don’t Study the night before an exam”
“Apply for more scholarships, apply to literally a thousand if you can”
“Find schools that have good programs for your major…whatever you want to focus on, do your research”
“I want to stress location…when you’re compiling your list {of colleges} make sure to consider things like weather, size of the community, activities and resources in the area.”
“Look at the other things that are important to you. Athletics were important to me”
“Look at the size of the school, I go to a rather small school, and because of that the resources are more readily accessible.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help whether it’s your teacher or your ASPIRE mentor. In college, use your professors' office hours and other resources, they want you to succeed.”
