Many students dream of the day when they will complete their education and graduate from high school. For the 67 seniors of the class of 2008, this day has arrived.

?I am really excited to get out of high school,? Ellie Wilhelm, ’08, said, ?and to actually become an adult and be on my own. It is scary at the same time, because you are on your own for the first time.?

Although the seniors will soon leave high school, their education is far from being over. Ashley Hall, ’08, plans on starting her college education at Fresno City College for two years before continuing to a four-year university.

?I decided to go to [Fresno] City for two years because it?s cheaper and close to home,? Hall said. ?Then I plan on going to a private four year Christian college either in Oregon or Washington after spending a semester in London.?

Hall intends to major in sociology and ministry in hopes of becoming a counselor or a youth pastor.

“The youth group I’m in now has helped me make connections,” Hall said. “I hope that I will be able to use these connections when I go into ministry.”

Similar to Hall, Josh Palmer, ’08, would like to graduate from a seminary and become a youth pastor.

?After I earn my bachelor?s degree in business at Fresno State,? Palmer said, ?I am going to southern California to get my master?s in seminary school.?

Although many know which college they will attend, some hesitate to select their major.

?I?m going to Willow International Center because it?s close to home and cheaper than Fresno Pacific University,? Marielle Desrosiers, ’08, said. ?I?m still not sure what I want to major in, but I think I want to work with little kids as a teacher.?

Many choose their college because of academics or athletics. Senior Matthew Nickel, however, felt drawn to Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, when he first stepped foot on the campus.

?When I visited the campus, I felt like that?s where God wanted me to be,? Nickel said. ?I still don?t know what I want to major in, but I?ve been looking into business, psychology, engineering or political science.?

Wilhelm intends to transfer colleges after picking her major.

?I am going to California Baptist University because my parents want me to,? Wilhelm said, ?but I plan on transferring to University of California, Los Angeles, once I pick my major because I got accepted into the honors program there. I have looked into psychology, graphic design, genetics and mathematics, but I still have no idea what I want to do.?

Although the graduating class will disperse across California and the US seeking their higher education, Jon Endicott, associate principal, believes that each will be successful.

“We had 15 seniors that had a GPA higher than 4.0,” Endicott said. “Four seniors were accepted to University of California, Berkeley, which is one of the toughest schools to get into. I am very confident that these students will be successful in college because they know how to think and write.”