Danity

What advice would you give to your younger self?

The advice I would tell my younger self would be to enjoy life. Growing up I was always looking forward to the future and always wanted to grow up and move out and do my own thing. I never really stopped and smelled the roses, I had always brushed by them and just kept on going with one thing on my mind which was being independent. Growing up I was always independent, so when it came to me being a teenager I always wanted to be gone, and when in reality I should’ve lived in the moment and been happy and enjoyed where I was at. Now I am a senior and I am stressed 24/7 about colleges and I had realized that I am not ready to be an adult and I just want to be a little kid again and watch cartoons and not have a care in the world. Yet life is moving on and it is not stopping, but in small days where I have no worries, I take great pleasure in them and I do not take it for granted. Take your time, and don’t rush.

Carlos

What is the lesson it’s taken you the longest to learn? When did you learn this?

I suppose the lesson that took me the longest to learn was that not everyone that comes into my life will always be there. This can apply to friends, family, and even significant others. I would hear this in movies, tv shows, from people I knew but I didn’t ever truly understand what it meant until it actually happened. Without having to go into too much detail I can say that I learned this lesson when I was sixteen so about a year ago.

Gerardo

What is one of the hardest experiences you’ve had to go through in your life?

I think one of the hardest experiences that I’ve had to go through was transitioning from a middle school to a high school. At the middle school, we didn’t change classes. We had one class and that class taught all the classes. So it was pretty difficult learning the new thing of switching classes, but in the end, I got the hang of it, and I’m doing pretty good now.

What was your biggest takeaway from it?

My biggest takeaway was that even though sometimes I felt like giving up, I came through it. The main takeaway is to never give up, and follow through because at the end of the day you’re gonna make it no matter what.

Brian

• 
  When I am angry, sad, or even nervous, I pick my violin up and play the emotion that I am feeling at that moment, I play to the fullest and the songs that I play make me happy and brings my spirits up.

Kryssi

"If I were an element of the earth, I'd be the ground so I could support people and hold them up." 

Gloria

​What was the hardest thing you’ve had to experience?

Ummm, I  guess it would be this girl would umm... bully me and stalk me. It got to a point where I didn't want to go to school, I missed doing homework, but I didn't let it affect me. I actually left that school and came here.  She continued to stalk me on social media, not showing her identity. 

She stopped when I told her to stop and leave me alone

Why was this experience so difficult?

It was difficult because I couldn't do anything, she wasn't saying my name. I didn't want her to turn things around, I felt trapped. 

What did you learn with this experience?

I learned not to trust people, not everyone is going to be your friend. Also, I learned to stick up for me.

Brian

• What got you through the most tough times in life?
• The thing that got me through the toughest times in life was my mother. She is always there to support me and makes it possible for me to move on with life even though sometimes you might think you don't belong here. Personally, I haven't gone through much tough stuff or bad things in life, which I am grateful for; but I see other friends of mine suffer and I just want to be there to help them as much as possible.
• Have you ever wanted to leave Veritas? If so why did you stay?
• Totally, I wanted to transfer since my sophomore year of high school and decided not to. The reason I stayed was that I wanted to prove to myself that I was a good student and not the type of student that got in trouble. Also, I am the only student in this whole school that plays for the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra. This program is among the best programs in the Midwest and even in the nation. It's a privilege and an honor being in this prestigous program. Now when I am a senior I noticed that I meant to stay at Veritas without going to a different school.
• What makes you happy when you feel your lowest?
• The thing that makes me happy when I am at my lowest is my violin. When I am angry, sad, or even nervous, I pick my violin up and play the emotion that I am feeling at that moment. I play to the fullest and the songs that I play makes me happy and brings my spirits up. Ever since the 9th grade, the violin has been a key role in my life and I do not plan on quitting the instrument after I graduate from high school.

Kaylee

 What is the purpose of the human experience?

   The purpose of the human experience is to serve other people. So like we all have this thing we have to fulfill whether it is to convince someone to keep going on in life or singing and bringing music into the world or making art that moves people. So I feel like essentially the purpose of the human experience is to serve others with your actions.