On May 13 seniors said goodbye to RBHS. For many, the summer is filled with working, saving up money and anticipating the start of an entirely new experience, college. While the transition from high school to college may be difficult, it is a transition that 439 seniors are thrilled to make.
“I’m excited to graduate and finally start my journey in life,” senior Khalil Diya said, “but it’s still scary to finally have to move on and grow up.”
Seniors such as Diya will graduate, work during the summer, then head off to college. However, not all will follow this path. Senior Randi Obermiller plans to mix higher education with serving her country. She will go to Texas State University on a scholarship from the Air Force and has a full schedule of classes including ROTC. There will be mandatory training sessions throughout the week where all the ROTC students will go on runs, do exercises and also they will learn to march properly. Obermiller will not be enlisting or being shipped to a base; her headquarters will be Detachment 840 at Texas State University.
“I am starting with Air Force,” said Obermiller, who plans to study Middle/Eastern and African countries in an international program, “because it’s been my life since the day I was born and it’s a bit of a ‘Family Business’ we like to say.”
Obermiller received her scholarship in December and immediately joined the gym 9round, 901 E Nifong Blvd, to train for the ROTC program. She goes to the gym three to four times a week and runs twice a week. At ROTC there is a Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) that every student in the ROTC program has to take. The PFA includes a mile and a half run, sit ups, push ups and a waist measurement. Obermiller’s dad is an Air Force officer, so she has her dad test her on her PFA test, as she progresses. At Texas State the entire detachment does three PFA sessions a week and daily runs, so she has to train herself for the intensity of ROTC.
“I am definitely the strongest, healthiest and most motivated I’ve ever been,” she said, “but it’s still a challenge because I know I need to be competitive and score a high 90 on my PFA, but what’s most challenging is mentally, honestly. I have to keep my head straight to ensure that I don’t slack and that I am ready to jump into the hardest training sessions when the fall semester starts.”
Being physically fit is important for Obermiller as well as for her fellow classmate senior Lawrence Brewer who is going to Columbia College where he hopes to run track. He is trying to stand out at districts and beyond in order to get a scholarship. He said this goal creates an on-going pressure that gives him incentive to try his hardest. Brewer’s goal is to keep an open mind to different events.
“I don’t want to close myself off to any events, whether it’s a 100m dash or the 800m,” Brewer said. “I just want to keep my options open. If there’s one worry I have, it’s that I might not make it. Being afraid of not getting looked at: there’s always that pressure as the season is over.”
Despite the pressure of wrapping up senior year and of not knowing what the future brings, seniors such as Diya say they are anticipating success as they take the next step.
“I’m excited to finally move on and really start to become an adult and make my own choices in life,” Diya said. “It’s all up to me now.”