As Claremont High School’s class of 2024 graduation nears, many students begin to ponder their life after high school and reminisce on memories shared on campus. CHS senior Jocelyn Chang is one of many who is wrapping up her final year of high school, and looking forward to her large trek across the country for her studies. Committing to Brown University, one of the most prestigious Ivy League Schools, Chang will be accompanying her sister on campus all the way in Rhode Island. The university will offer her many possible majors ranging from comparative literature to sociology or pre-med.
Along with reuniting with her older sister, Chang states that she committed to Brown partly due to its open curriculum that does not ask students to choose a major until Sophomore year.
“You can take whatever classes you want…I feel like that’s really nice because I don’t have to worry about any GenEd’s or anything,” Chang said. “There’s so much freedom to explore.”
Looking even further into the future, Chang hopes to take up a career in medicine such as a doctor. However, she has many varying aspirations besides medicine.
“After college, I’m planning to do medicine but if not I think it would be really cool to be a teacher,” Chang said. “I’ve also always wanted to be a librarian for grade school and read to kids. I think that would be fun.”
While Chang is excited for the future, she also recalls her fondest memories from high school. One of her favorite memories is spending lunch with her friends in their cars. She expresses that spending time with her closest friends will be what she will miss the most about high school. Chang’s four years in band and yearbook are also experiences she holds dear. She explains that helping the community is what draws her to these two activities. While Chang is not entirely sure whether or not she will continue to be involved in both activities going forward, she hopes to take on new endeavors alongside current ones.
“I think it would be really cool to join the student newspaper or maybe join the band but I think I need to see how much time I have after classes,” Chang said. “If I have time, I’d love to.”
To commemorate her time at CHS and future at Brown, she would like to shout out her friends and teachers. Specifically, Chang would like to shout out Ms. Lee, Ms. Kennedy, and Mr. Thomas. Lastly, Chang shares words of advice to incoming freshmen and seniors.
“Just do what you want to do because I feel like a lot of people do things only because they think it will be good for college or to get a higher GPA but I think it’s more important to do things you actually want to do,” Chang said.
