As spring break draws to a close and the final quarter of the school year begins, many iUniversity Prep seniors have already begun to look towards life past graduation, finalizing their plans for college and the next chapter of their lives. These students have worked hard throughout their time at iUP to reach this accomplishment of college acceptance and are excited to further their education while taking with them all that iUP has taught. Among these seniors are iHoot’s own Editors-in-Chief, Guin Rogers and Austin Travis, and Associate Editor Enya Ratkic.

Enya Ratkic

Enya Ratkic is a 6th year Owl who is headed to the University of Alabama at Birmingham this fall to study biomedical sciences. Explaining why she chose her major, Enya stated “I am wanting to be a doctor when I am older. Not sure what kind of doctor yet, but it probably will be sports medicine. I also have always liked reading about this field and as they say, whatever it is that you love reading about you should pursue that”. Looking towards this fall, Enya explains “I am really looking forward to meeting new people! I also will be playing D1 college tennis there so I am super excited for that as well! I love that I will be able to continue playing tennis and at the same time get a quality education. I’m excited to be a student-athlete”. 

Many seniors know the difficult process of college applications, but Enya’s process as a student athlete looked a little different. “My application process was pretty easy since I was already verbally committed to the school because of tennis. I did not have to worry about money because I got a full-ride athletic scholarship. On top of that I also am getting extra money through an academic merit scholarship. Everything worked out really well for that. Keep in mind that the college process for athletes is a bit different than for non-athletes”. 

In response to the question “What will you miss most about iUP?”, Enya states “I will probably miss the teachers most. They are all really nice and great teachers and they taught the subjects really well”. Lastly, in a few words of advice for new iUP students, she elaborates that “New Owls shouldn’t be shy to reach out to teachers if they need help. They also need to be self-disciplined with their school work and stay organized with a to do list. A lack of discipline can cause you to fall behind. But, even if you do fall behind, this school is so flexible that the teachers will work with you to get back on track”. 

          Austin Travis

Austin Travis is also a 6th year Owl who will be studying psychology at Texas Woman’s University (TWU) in Denton this upcoming fall; he will then attend occupational therapy school. When asked what he is most excited about, he said “I’m excited about progressing towards a career and the opportunity to meet a lot of new people.” When he was asked what scares him about college, he said, “The huge adjustment that’s coming my way. Going to school on campus again will be weird for a bit.” He said his personal application process was easy and it was hassle free, as this is the only college he applied to. He said that he’ll “miss the positive and uplifting environment that iUP is notorious for. I’ll also miss serving as EIC with iHoot!” when asked about what he’ll miss about iUP. His advice to new Owls is, “Just be patient. It’s easy to get frustrated with things early on, but it’s a huge change that takes time to adjust to.”

         Guin Rogers

5 year Owl veteran, Guin Rogers, will be attending Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas and will study journalism. When asked why she chose journalism as her career choice, she stated “I enjoy being a part of iHoot and I want to see if that’s something I want to do for the rest of my life”. Outside of school she games, sings and reads. What she is most looking forward to regarding college is “living in a new place, meeting new people, and studying what I want!”, and what she is most weary of is “probably making new friends and the classes-I’m antisocial, so I feel like I may have a hard time meeting new people. I’m planning on joining clubs and activities around campus to help with that!”.

        When asked how her application process was she said “The application process was fairly easy, just turning in your transcript (Mrs. Heath, our Coordinator of Academics here at iUniversity Prep, does that), asking you some general questions about yourself, and after that you apply for scholarships. Most of the time you are required to write an essay for this.”

When questioned about what she will miss and what advice she would give new Owls she said “I’ll miss the teachers the most!! They’re all so helpful and kind, wanting the best for us all! For our new Owls- the best way to tackle an assignment that seems hard and that you don’t want to do is to just start it; starting is always the hardest part! You’ll usually find that the assignment was not as hard as you thought. Also, reach out to your teachers if you need help!! They are always eager to help you, you’re never bothering them!”.

         Enya, Austin, and Guin are just a few of the seniors here at iUP. Although we will all miss them, they are moving up in the world. We should all listen to the advice they gave us because it can come in handy, and they seem to know what they are doing. Congratulations to all of the seniors! We will miss you here at iUP!