Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word, meaning a time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action or decision. As the school year is nearing its end, the Class of 2026 is looking forward to what lies next while reflecting on past moments that brought them here today.
From forced realizations to overcoming expectations, it’s moments like these that take a person from who they were to what they’re becoming. Each experience is a reflection of an important part of their journey.
The culmination of their experiences is the stepping stone toward an uncertain future, preparing them for the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next.
Senior Roman Cooper
Senior Roman Cooper has come a long way since their sophomore year. During their second year of high school, they had a falling out with their friends, which forced them to do some self reflection.
“I was left to reckon with the fact that I didn’t like who I was by myself,” Cooper said. “I was catering myself so that others would like me better, and for me to be happy, I needed to change.”
Looking back, Cooper admits that despite the sadness that came with the situation, it couldn’t have been better timing for them.
“It happened at a good time,” Cooper said. “[I’m] more comfortable with who I am, and I wouldn’t be who I am without the realization.”
Cooper finds that if someone is wrapped in an identity that isn’t their own, it’s hard to keep track of who they really are outside of the friendship.
“You forget that you’re a singular person,” Cooper said. “Later in life, when you’re an adult, it’s hard because you have less freedom to explore who you are.”
Cooper’s time during this change was hard for them. It was hard for them, and it made them uncomfortable to think about the kind of person they were. But it also gives them hope for the future.
“Remembering how sad I was is depressing, but it’s also hopeful,” they said. “Knowing that I’ve come so far, and I’m not done [because] I’m only a senior.”
Living through a change that altered them completely showed them how much they can truly do and proved they can push past their own limits.
“I still have college and adulthood and then old age, you’re always changing. Seeing the progress I’ve made makes me hopeful for the progress [that] I can make later.”
Senior Josiah Torrez
Senior Josiah Torrez was the only freshman in Culinary 1 three years ago. On Freshman Day, the first day of school, Torrez got the opportunity to talk with culinary teacher Dolly Victorine, who had known his older brother. When it came time to try out for Bistro, he already had a good relationship with the people a part of it.
“Some of the judges would call me ‘Freshman,’” Torrez said. Bistro is a student-led project; all of the people in Bistro were chosen by the previous students involved, so Torrez was being interviewed by other students.
Today, Torrez deals with being held to the high standards of his peers.
“They would hype me up, so I had to live up to this expectation,” Torrez said. “It made it a lot more meaningful, because I had a purpose.”
After being in Bistro, taking all available culinary classes, and even getting a restaurant job through Victorine, Torrez is now known as ‘The Future Chef’ and ‘The Future Restaurant Owner’ by his classmates.
“Holding [myself] to the standard was a lot of pressure and changed my feelings [because] now I need to live up to this,” Torrez said. But as time has gone on, he realized that he doesn’t need to live up to the expectations of others.
“I started with committing myself to everyone’s standards, and now I have my own standards of what I want to do and who I’m going to be,” Torrez said. “It makes me more proud of myself; instead of listening to what they’re trying to tell me, I listen to myself now.”
