One year ago, Kearsley seniors were getting ready to go off to college and start a new chapter in their lives that would take them miles away from their homes.

As their freshman year at college comes to a close, Kearsley alumni look back on the past school year and how their college experience has impacted their lives.

Mr. Kosta Zaravelis

Mr. Kosta Zaravelis was a graduate who decided to stay at home for college. Zarevelis attends UM-Flint.

“I chose to stay at home because it was, honestly, the most viable option for me,” Zaravelis said. “It felt like a better idea than going away because I wanted to be close to home and I wanted to save money.”

Zaravelis is majoring in professional communications.

“My mother recommended it because I’m an outgoing person,” Zaravelis said. “I like talking to people. I like to share ideas and hear other peoples’ ideas. Plus, I feel like there’s not much you can do with a history degree, which is what I wanted originally.”

Miss Brianna Finley

Miss Brianna Finley also attends the University of Michigan, but she goes to the campus in Ann Arbor.

“The past year at UM has been nothing short of a blessing,” Finley said. “I would not have gone anywhere else.”

Finley is majoring in nursing.

“I went into nursing because I want to save lives when I get older,” Finley said. “At UM, I have all the tools I need to become the best healthcare provider I can be. I hope this journey can continue into my master’s and possibly a doctoral degree.”

Despite all the hardships college has provided for Finley, her passion for the field helps her overcome it all and to keep going.

“I believe saving people is the passion God gave me to pursue because I did my day on the job in the operating room and emergency room, and I couldn’t stop smiling the entire day because it felt right,” she said. “Everyone needs help at one point or another in their lives, so if I can be the person that gives them what they need, my heart will be eternally full.”

Finley hopes to be a psychological/pediatric nurse practitioner.

Mr. Chance Wikaryasz

Mr. Chance Wikaryasz also decided to stay at home. He attends Mott Community College and is majoring in general studies.

“I really have not determined what I want to go into,” Wikaryasz said. “So right now I am taking my basic prerequisite classes like math and English. I did take a prelaw class on top of those.”

Wikaryasz loves going to college.

“College is totally different from high school. You get to meet a lot of people, which is my kind of thing,” Wikaryasz said. “There is a ton of homework, but as long as you do not procrastinate like me you should be good.”