This year as we honor our seniors we look to their past time at Hidden Valley, what they have learned from that time in the present, and where they are looking to for the future. Dylan Musser, one of the Senior’s being acknowledged this year, has been an involved and successful student at Hidden Valley and reflects on what he will leave behind and take with him.

In his time at hidden valley Dylan dabbled in sports, academic programs, and club activities. In his freshman and sophomore years Dylan competed for the Titan’s cross country and track and field teams and accompanied them to state finals. In academics, Dylan challenged his understanding of Engineering and Physics in the Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) program, where he had practice designing technologies and the minutia that goes into them. Finally, Dylan enjoyed photography in and out of school, including participating in our Photography club. Other accomplishments have been his membership of Titan 12, Mu Alpha Theta, Beta Club, and winner of the Senior Superlative “Most Likely to Leave the World a Better Place then they Found it”. One standout from his time at Hidden Valley was his “12^th grade AP Physics with Miss Fischer.”

When asked what his advice for current and future students he recommended not “focusing on and getting distracted by drama that won’t matter” in the grand scheme. This rings true as with only four years in a high school career it is important to enjoy the good times and not bogged down by the bad.

Looking to the future, Dylan plans to attend the University of Illinois Urbana Champagne’s Grainger School of Engineering where he will explore different fields of engineering and STEM opportunities. Other than the academics, he is “excited for a change of scenery and a fresh start” in Urbana Champagne. Although life moves on, he “will miss family and pets” greatly. Talking to Dylan and other seniors reminded us of the importance of our high school experiences and how fast they go by.