'It's not going to be like the movies:' New Twin Cities high school freshmen share hopes and fears
School starts next week for many young Minnesotans, and with it, a new class of ninth graders will enter high school.
MPR News spoke with five members of the class of 2026 — from five different metro-area high schools — about their hopes, fears and dreams for the future as the semester begins.
Nikki Krsna, Wayzata High School
“I’m excited,” Nikki Krsna said. “I get to meet a lot of new people.”
During the beginning of the pandemic, Nikki stayed connected with her friends through virtual study groups. She likes to have a broad social network, she said — with folks from all different backgrounds.
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Some of those friends she’s met through clubs and activities, like volleyball and Indian classical dance. Gleaming trophies from over the years are on display in her family’s living room.
“My dance friends, they've been the same for eight years. So we're all very close with each other.”
Wayzata High School is the largest high school in Minnesota, by enrollment. So Nikki is a little nervous about navigating the halls.
She thinks she has a difficult year ahead of her— with a math class first up in the morning. But she feels ready.
“It’s not going to be like the movies … because it’s very dramatized.”
Evan Bierscheid, Roseville Area High School
When Evan Bierscheid graduates high school, he wants music to be part of his life — whether that’s as a musical artist, or a producer, studio musician or sound engineer. He’s taking a music production class this year, in addition to playing percussion in band, and hopes to take more music classes as they’re offered.
“I'm not necessarily excited to go back to school, but I've had a long enough time, where I'm like … I'm not dreading it or anything,” he said.
The new environment is a bit nerve-wracking. His mom worked at his middle school — in high school, he’ll be more on his own. Luckily, many of his friends from middle school will be with him at Roseville Area High School.
“I haven't had that same age difference between me and the seniors since I was in third grade,” he said. “So it's gonna be a little weird being like, I guess kind of like the younger kid again. Like, wow, some of you are literal adults. And I'm like, 14.”
Anna Penz, Cretin Derham-Hall High School
Lucy Bradford, Highland Park Senior High
Lucy Bradford and Anna Penz have known each other their entire lives. They’ve been neighbors since they were three years old.
But they’ll be heading to different high schools this year — even though they’d hoped they’d both be attending Highland Park. But they don’t think it will impact their friendship.
“It's nice to have a reason to see each other … especially at the start of the summer,” Anna said. “Like there's always like a recap that happens.”
They have the first-day jitters — their middle school teachers told them high school would be challenging, but they’re not sure what to expect.
“I know going from elementary school to middle school, all the teachers are like, ‘You guys are going to middle school, this is a big deal.’ And then you go to middle school, and it's like the exact same almost,” Lucy said. “So I think it'd be pretty similar.”
“I'm gonna try to focus on my academics this year, because I know freshman year can be a really big part,” Anna said. “And if you don't do well freshman year, it's really hard to get back from that.”
Nayeli Vicente, Washburn High School
Nayeli Vicente remembers what it’s like to feel out of place. Back in elementary school, she was placed in classes with people who only spoke English. They looked different than she did, spoke differently.
Nayeli, who grew up speaking Spanish at home, didn’t feel like her English was good enough.
This time around, she knows support is available, though she’s still nervous to be in a new environment. Her cousins attend Washburn High School. They can help her out if she gets lost.
“I try to be nice to people, like nicer than usual,” she said. “And I know I can still relate to other people who aren't exactly like me.”
Nayeli is excited to learn her fourth language this year, American Sign Language (she learned Arabic in middle school). And she’s hoping to do well in all her classes so she can earn a scholarship in the future — that seems like the dream.
“I'm going to get a career in the future that has to do with science and mathematics. Because I think those are my strong points in comparison to things like literature,” she said.
“I'm excited about what this is going to bring for me. I'm very nervous about how I'm going to be able to achieve certain things.”
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Audio transcript
[MUSIC - PAT DONOHUE, "HIGH SCHOOL"]: Well, sometimes I dream, I wake up in the morning and find myself back in my teens. One of life's uglier scenes.
NYELLIE: My name is Nyellie. And I'm going to go to Washburn. I think when I went to third grade and I took a class with people who spoke English that were like not bilingual, I was very nervous because my English wasn't very good. And I felt like it was like, I don't know, I didn't belong there because a lot of people like look different from me and they spoke differently. And it was very nerve wracking I remember. And I know that I try to be nice to people like nicer than usual.
I know that there is support out there. And that I can still relate to other people who aren't exactly like me. I'm very nervous and I feel like the first thing that I have to do is give myself a schedule so I can get myself working. Even though it's going to be a new school, I have some cousins that go there, and I feel like they could show me around too.
I feel like I'm going to get a career in the future that has to do with science and mathematics because I think those are my strong points in comparison to things like literature. I'm very nervous about how I'm going to be able to achieve certain things. I don't know if I'm ever going to earn a scholarship. I feel like it's a really big deal. Everybody talks about it, it's like a dream to have basically. I'm excited about what this is going to bring for me. You just have to accustom yourself to it. So I think I'm going to be fine.
EVAN RICHAD: I'm Evan Richad. I'm forgetting my own age. I'm 14, right? Yeah. OK, 14. And I'm going to be attending Roseville Area high school or Rose as it's known. It's nice because I'm not necessarily excited to go back to school. But I have a long enough time where I'm like I can definitely do-- like I'm not dreading it or anything.
INTERVIEWER: Do you know what classes you're going to be in?
EVAN RICHAD: It's the normal like science math, social studies, English. And then band, public speaking, and a couple of other music related classes. Like, of course, dream, I would love to be like an artist. But more realistically I'd be perfectly fine like producer or studio musician or sound engineer. Like one of those roles where you're still kind of hands on with it. This is basically the first time since kindergarten where I'm going into a new environment that I don't really know.
It's going to be a little weird being like the younger kid again. Like wow, some of you are literal adults and I'm 14.
[MUSIC - PAT DONOHUE, "HIGH SCHOOL"]: I guess tat I'm not prepared for back in high school. I'm glad I'm not there anymore.
ANNA PENS: My name is Anna Pens. And I am starting at Cretin-Derham Hall high school.
LUCY BRADFORD: I'm Lucy Bradford and I'm going to be starting at Highland Park Senior High. So our parents went biking together before we were born and stuff, and then maybe when you were three years old.
ANNA PENS: When I was three years old, I moved across the street from her.
INTERVIEWER: So you've basically known each other your whole lives?
LUCY BRADFORD: Yeah.
ANNA PENS: Yeah. Preschool, we went to school together. And then we've just kind of always gone to different schools. I know going from elementary school to middle school, all the teachers are like, you guys are going to middle school, this is a big deal. And then you go to middle school and it's like the exact same almost. Where it's like very chill. So I think it will be pretty similar where like everyone like builds it up so much and then it's just pretty normal.
LUCY BRADFORD: Yeah. I mean, I have the first day jitters and whatever. But I think I feel like people have been saying this a lot, or at least on social media from what I've seen. But I'm going to try to focus on my academics this year because I know if you don't do well freshman year, it's really hard to get back from that. So--
ANNA PENS: Just kind of start well.
LUCY BRADFORD: Yeah, focusing on starting well and not focusing on the socials or on other people. Just trying to focus on myself for at least the first few months and seeing how it goes. My mom thinks that I'll probably go into something that has to do with history because I love that since I was very, very young. And so I think there are classes I can take for that, but that's not really what I'm focused on right now.
ANNA PENS: Yeah, I have no idea what I want to do. But I'm just kind of trying a bit of everything, see what I like, sort of.
[MUSIC - PAT DONOHUE, "HIGH SCHOOL"]: Well, my teacher's waiting to tell me I'm late and I can't seem to find my report.
NIKKI: I'm Nikki, and I'm going to [? Wise Little ?] High School next year. I'm excited. I get to meet a lot of new people. I really like to have my social network really wide and have different people of different backgrounds. So that'll be really fun in high school.
INTERVIEWER: Are you a little nervous about navigating it at all?
NIKKI: Yeah, a little bit. I might walk into the seniors classroom on the first day of school. I would have to say it's a pretty hard year since I'm doing math the whole year because I have math the first thing in the morning. So doing math at 8:00 AM, my brain's not functioning then.
INTERVIEWER: Are you going into high school thinking about what you want to do after high school?
NIKKI: That's still kind of a field of exploration. One thing I hope high school is, it's not going to be like the movies. At least I really hope so. Because it's very dramatic ties in there. But I'm really excited to go into high school.
[MUSIC - PAT DONOHUE, "HIGH SCHOOL"]: Back in high school I'm glad I'm not there anymore.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, I hope the first day goes well for all of you. You can find photos of these incoming freshmen and more on our website nprnews.org. And the song you heard throughout the piece, I love it. It's called High School by Saint Paul musician Pat Donohue.
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