Every Spring Semester, the Athens Oracle sends emails to teachers so that graduating seniors can be recognized. Each senior has played a different role in making Athens Drive the school it is. Paola Guzman Evangelista was one of those seniors recognized at Athens.
For many seniors, arriving at high school was a drastic change. Starting fresh at a huge school and not knowing any other students can be very frightening, especially when you don’t know how to get to your classes. For Senior Guzman Evangelista, one of her favorite high school memories was getting lost on her first day, after walking endlessly through the hallways. Through this, she met one of her closest friends, who is still a friend to this day.
“I got lost, one of my friends was also lost, and we were in the same class, so we got to another class, and it was still wrong, then the teacher kicked us out, and that’s how we became friends,” said Guzman Evangelista.
Sometimes, unexpected events make for some of the best memories for students. Gaining a new friend and meeting new people. Freshman year can be one of the best years of high school; being able to meet new people and create long-lasting friendships is a beauty.
“We were so embarrassed, but it made me want to take AP Psychology, so that’s an advantage, and I got a new friend,” said Guzman Evangelista.
Being in high school for four years has helped her grow by learning how to better manage her time wisely and discover her career after high school.
“I learned how to manage my classes and stuff because, for me, I had no idea what I was doing with my classes, and then I learned how to meet new people,” said Guzman Evangelista.
Athens Drive offers over 20 types of classes students can take to discover their passion or even try different things. This was an adventure Guzman Evangelista went through. At first, she came in thinking she wanted to be an engineer, but after taking some classes, she learned it wasn’t something she wanted to do. With the help of these classes, students like Guzman Evangelista are able to try new things and, if so, discover new pathways.
“I wanted to do engineering, and I took AP physics, and I was like, oh my gosh, engineering is not for me,” said Guzman Evangelista.
Now, she will attend Wake Tech, earn her associate’s degree in science, and transfer to Chapel Hill to major in neurosurgery. While she was taking engineering classes, she also took health science classes, which is how she realized that she wanted to pursue medicine after she graduated and headed to college.
“After I took Health Science 1, I knew I wanted to do something in the medical field because I like being able to help people. When I took AP Psychology, I knew I wanted to do something related to the brain,” said Guzman Evangelista.
One of the biggest supporters throughout her high school career was her parents, who motivated her to try different things, inspiring her to find what she really wanted to do after high school. Her parents were there by her side all four years of high school, helping her decide what her next big step was going to be.
“They just told me to try different classes in high school to know what they are about and see which field I am interested in,” said Guzman Evangelista.
For many graduating seniors, there are challenges along the way, from getting lost in the hallways to figuring out their careers. These experiences have helped create memories people can look back on. Guzman Evangelista and the class of 2026 can look back on memories that could have been embarrassing in the moment, but feel a bittersweet sense that they gained a new friendship or a clearer idea of what they want to be when they are older. This has helped form a new passion for their new chapter of life.
“They’ve inspired me to do whatever I want, so I can choose what my future career will be, even if it takes a while getting there,” said Guzman Evangelista.
