As Pelham Memorial High School enters the fourth quarter, its 225 seniors are preparing to embark on the next chapter of their lives.

“There is a more diversified list of schools and a wider range of schools that students are committing to,” said counselor Andrea Pellicane.

Anderson Brady, who will be attending Temple University in the fall, said, “I am so excited to be going to school in Philadelphia. Studying psychology has been something I’ve wanted to pursue for a very long time, and I’m really excited to see where it will take me career-wise.”

Experiences as well as education are in the plans for some members of the graduating class. “Next year, I plan to study my first year in finance and college-level computer science, along with obtaining my CFA [Chartered Financial Analyst] designation—and traveling,” said Sahra Monsur. “I’d love to travel to Japan.”

Jahani Valverde, who currently holds 14 life-saving certifications from BOCES and the Red Cross, will continue her studies in healthcare. “I’ll be learning how to help people in a more advanced way so people can feel safe with my presence instead of feeling uneasy when I walk on scene,” said Valverde. “I’ll be training to be a paramedic by the age of nineteen.” She is working on getting her next certification by the end of May.

“I hope to continue helping my community through design while in Syracuse,” said Sophia Greco.

Members of this class may have entered the year better prepared to plan for their futures because of a new program at PMHS. As 11th graders, they were the first to take a new junior seminar in which the counseling department led weekly classes on what’s coming for seniors.

“More students this year did more research on specific programs and majors within their colleges,” said counselor Katelin Cuccia. “More students have applied early decision and early action.”