Merannen
Down in La Miranda, California, Senior Merannen Gatien will attend Biola University for four years after graduation. Initially, Gatien was unsure about whether or not he would go due to cost issues, but after music auditions and scholarship auditions cut his cost in half, he has made the decision to attend.
“I chose it mostly because it’s a private Christian school and I’m looking to grow in my faith, but also because it has a really good music conservatory there,” Gatien said.
In preparation, Gatien has been honing his trumpeting skills.
“I’ve been practicing trumpet a lot so that when I get down there, I can keep up with people who have practiced their whole life,” Gatien said.
With moving away, Gatien feels nervous, but he’s excited about the new experiences.
“It’s gonna be great to kind of restart everything and make a name for myself, but in the same sense, I’m a little nervous you know being so far away from home and everything,” Gatien said, adding, “Hopefully, I get to make a career out of music.”
Molly Ciaffoni
Over in Salt Lake City, Utah, Senior Molly Ciaffoni plans on attending the University of Utah for around 6 years, majoring in computer science. Ciaffoni has already visited the university in January on a tour for incoming students.
“I feel a little bit of everything, sad to leave my friends behind, but I’m excited to leave Albany,” Ciaffoni said.
When it comes down to the expenses, Ciaffoni has managed to cut them down a bit, however, it’s still expensive.
“It’s really expensive, but Utah does the tuition exchange thing, so it’s not as bad for me, but I’m still gonna have to drop like $45,000 on it,” Ciafonni said.
Ciaffoni looks forward to moving into a new city, not just to move away but for the opportunities.
“I think it’s gonna provide a lot of good opportunities for me to be in a big city with more businesses for me to work at, because I’m going into computer science,” said Ciaffoni. “So I have a lot more tech and businesses near me.”
