My Senior Year of the United States (2024-2025)

I just can’t wait to graduate from the United States of America so I can apply everything I’ve learned to the Real World Out There!

My Senior Year of the United States is a DIY senior year—complete with lessons, exams, field trips, and graduation (as long as senioritis doesn’t tank my GPA). It’s been exactly ten years since my senior year of high school, and this past spring marked five years since I earned my undergraduate degree.

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The concept of a senior year is a social experience that is shared by many people in the United States. Classes, exams, homecoming, extracurriculars, and college or job applications are shared experiences—the language and concepts are shared even if the experiences vary from person to person and class year to class year. By DIYing my own senior year as a 28-year-old, I am creating opportunities for connection with generations both older and younger than my own. One goal of this project is to inspire older adults that it is never too late to end one chapter of your life and begin another. I also hope younger people are encouraged to embrace the MANY chapters and constant change of life. You actually can't do it all in one year, which is great news for all the years to follow.​

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As for me, I am trying to practice what I preach! When I reflect on my previous senior years, I am tempted to judge my younger selves too harshly—but I did what I could at the time, and the major life decisions I made have brought me invaluable wisdom since. My Senior Year of the United States is also a personal journey of discovering how I am both different and exactly the same at 28, and taking opportunities to write myself new when they come my way.​

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They say out of good grades, a social life, and sleep, you can only pick two. My sleep habits could use some work, but I am definitely a dreamer. I envision a final graduation showcase in late spring or early summer 2025, consisting of one or more of the following:

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• Yearbook, newspaper, and/or video with documentation from my self-assigned homework, field trips, and activities

• Photos, clothing, and memorabilia from my previous senior years alongside this senior year

• Essay reflecting on my "English class" reading list

• Short film or movie trailer reflecting on my "after school film club" watch list

• Reading an original commencement speech or poem, which I intend to have translated into other languages such as Dutch, French, or Spanish to share with artists in other countries if I am selected for a residency abroad next year