As the end of the 2023-24 school year quickly approaches, multiple high school experiences are coming to a close along with it. Gia Janiga is one of the notable seniors graduating from HVHS.
With the appearance of COVID, starting a high school career without truly finishing middle school was nothing short of a memorable experience. However, she was able to make it a good memory. She recalls, “Probably one of my most fond memories was when everyone came back together after being separated during COVID. It was nice to see my friends in person after not seeing them for so long.” However, there is one thing she regrets: not playing sports. After COVID, she recalls being disinterested in sports and discontinuing her sport activities. She had met some of her closest friends through sports and feels as though those connections were missed.
A good teacher is undoubtedly key to a good high school life. Mrs. Sprenger was Gia’s personal favorite. She had Mrs. Sprenger for both her Junior and Senior year, remembering both with a smile on her face. “She’s a really wonderful person and teacher,” Gia stated, “and I wish her the best after she retires this year.”
During her 4 years of high school, Gia focused a lot of her time on her volunteer work outside of school. Her work ethic is admirable as she volunteered for multiple organizations, including Feeding America, MANNA Food Pantry at the Rescue Mission, and Tales-For-Tots. Gia even was the president of the organization Tales-For-Tots, in which they donate books to TAP preschools and the Roanoke rescue mission. She recalls her story times with the donated books at the Women and Children’s Center.
After spending your childhood in an educational environment you are bound to miss something when saying your “goodbye’s.” For Gia, one thing she will miss the most is her friends. “I was fortunate enough to make good friends during school and I hope I am able to visit them during college,” she said. She recalls multiple instances where her friends made her experiences better. For example, some of her favorite memories involve going to football games with her friends, even if there weren’t many wins.
Gia is going to James Madison University for Communication Sciences and Disorders and plans on working towards becoming a speech pathologist for her future career. She has one piece of advice to share to upcoming high schoolers: make the most out of your time at HVHS. High school has its ups and downs, and even at some of the darkest points it is important to savor the happy moments and let go of the bad moments. After high school is a fresh start, so if your high school career doesn’t go to plan, there is always time to pull yourself back up.
“My biggest lesson is that you receive the effort that you give,” she expressed. “Prioritize what is important to you always and be aware of how much effort you are putting in to the things in your life and the consequences of the level that you give.”
