One by one, Allie Williams’ friends are leaving town. A recent Holy Child graduate, Williams has nearly a month before she heads off to Ohio State University in mid-September.
"It’s a month away for me, but seeing my friends go through it is making it real, making me nervous," Williams said. Her biggest concern is that she’ll miss her family and friends. "It’s definitely a mixed emotion, but I think that’s natural. You’re just always concerned whether you’re going to fit in."
At the same time, Williams is excited for a new type of scenery. "I went to a really small all-girls’ school, Holy Child, so I just wanted a change. Why not the biggest school in the country?" said Williams about what drew her to Ohio State University, which boasts an enrollment of more than 51,000 students.
It’s late August in Potomac, and the numbers of recent high school graduates has begun to dwindle as the 18(ish)-year-olds head off in different directions in search of education, new experiences, and the world.
WINSTON CHURCHILL High School graduate Joe Ottenstein also has concerns about fitting in. Instead of heading immediately off to college, Ottenstein deferred his enrollment at Syracuse University in favor of spending a year in Israel through the Young Judaea Year Course. Ottenstein will spend one year in Israel taking college courses, doing community service in Tel Aviv, and going through a three-month basic training with the Israeli military.
Ottenstein said he hopes his trip will be a good growing experience. To prepare for the trip, he said, "I’ve been trying to eat a lot, going shopping and getting ready…I leave from JFK on the 25th [of August], and the day before I leave we [Ottenstein and his family] are all going to spend the night in New York."
Two weeks before her mid-September departure, Williams is attending a conference at Ohio State called the Leadership Collaboration. She was one of 70 freshmen selected for the conference.
"We’re going to just go up there and learn how to be leaders at Ohio State and in life," she said. "The nice thing is that you get to meet a couple times during the school year, helping you stand out in a class of 12-13,000 kids."
"NOW THAT everyone’s leaving, now I’m just nervous," said Thomas Wootton High School graduate Daylin Short, who follows her brother to Boston College on Aug. 30.
Short is relaxing in her last couple weeks at home, "hanging out at the pool with friends, last-minute shopping, and working at Montgomery Square Pool as a lifeguard," she said. Her family will also uphold its tradition this week, renting a house on Kiawah Island, S.C.
Churchill graduate Rachel Northridge started packing for James Madison University last Thursday. "I was kind of sad," she said.
In July, Northridge and her twin brother Sam spent 18 days in France as part of a graduation present from their parents. "It was a cheesy little bonding experience, but it worked," she said. "I just enjoyed the whole thing. Sam and I don’t speak a word of French, so totally immersing into the French culture was great."
Until she leaves for James Madison on Aug. 22, Northridge said she will be "trying to split my time between sleeping, spending time with my parents, and spending every second I can with my friends."