What is the LHS Class of 2026 up to after Graduation?

Written by: Adam Tyberg (‘27)

The Lawrencian polled seniors from the Class of 2026 to see what their future plans are after Lawrence High School.  From attending colleges up to pursuing military and trade opportunities, there is a large variety in what this grade is planning to do with their future.

Of the sixty-seven seniors who shared their plans, the two most common attendee schools were Rutgers and Mercer County Community College.  Of the seven students who will be attending Rutgers University, various majors are being pursued, including Physics, Astronomy, Pre-Pharmacy, Political Science, Business, Pre-Dental, Mathematics, Education, and Pre-Veterinarian.  Of the four students who will be attending Mercer County Community College, majors such as Mechanics, Electrical Engineering, Automotive, Computer Science, Graphic Design and Mechanical Engineering are being pursued.

Two students shared they will be attending Rowan University, majoring in Nursing and Pre-Veterinarian, and two will be attending Monmouth University, majoring in Sports Communications and International Marketing. In addition, two students will be attending University of Connecticut and University of Maryland each, while three students will be attending The College of New Jersey.  The two students going to University of Connecticut will be majoring in Physiology / Neurobiology and Nursing,

and those going to University of Maryland will both be majoring in Psychology. Three students going to TCNJ will be majoring in Mathematics and Education, Kinesiology, and Business.

There are many other schools that students are attending from this poll.  For example, Christopher Newport for Kinesiology, Marshall University for Psychology and Criminal Justice, Temple University for Pre-Pharmacy, Drexel for Kinesiology, Penn State for Pharmaceutical, Immaculata University for Marketing, Loyola Maryland for History and Education, Pratt Institute for Art Education, University of Delaware for Graphic Design, George Washington University for Criminal Justice, Rider University for Health Science, University of Pennsylvania for Biochemistry, Colby College for Political Science, UMass Amherst for Business, Grand Canyon University for Biology, University of New Hampshire for Medical Laboratory Science and lastly, University of Illinois for Aerospace Engineering.

In addition to attending four-year schools, many students are going into the trades or military.  For example, Emelia Achacoso says she is focusing on the “Army Reserves Civil Affairs, which is a specialized special operations unit. I have an Army ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) scholarship at Syracuse.  They are paying for my school for four years.” Emelia is getting her full four years of college at Syracuse paid for in exchange for commissioning as an officer in the army after graduation for Civil Affairs.  Civil Affairs is a special operations branch which works with communities and local governments around the world to increase stability and quality of life.  Emelia is “interested in law and helping the public. Being in Civil Affairs will give me work experience to be a competitive applicant at a Law School.”

Ryan Sudol says he is “pursuing a trade in being an electrician. I currently attend Mercer County Technical Schools along with Lawrence High School.” Ryan is interested in his field because he loves the “hands on work and the feeling of satisfaction or pride in [his] work when [he] see[s] everything come together that [he’s] been working on in the shop.” His goal is to “work as an apprentice and build up experience, then either [join the] union and make a lot of money or be a lineman with PSE&G and make a lot of money.”

Luna Morris is “going to a tattoo trade school to become a tattoo artist.” Luna is interested in the field because she enjoys “having the freedom to express [her] love for art and making people happy with my artwork. [She] also like[s] that [she] can express [her]self freely while still being professional.”  She is excited to get to travel and hike while learning how to tattoo.

Other students are pursuing other fields such as Diesel Technology, Auto Mechanics, Cosmetology, Welding, and joining the Air Force.

Overall, just from this small sample size, the senior Class of 2026 has a very bright future ahead. Congratulations and best wishes to the Class of 2026!