Bloomington Jefferson graduates reflect on high school years

The Bloomington Jefferson High School class of 2024 hosted its commencement ceremony on May 29 in Minneapolis.

Several Jefferson students were asked to share memories and experiences from their high school years. The participating students are Carson Bridigum, Amanda Crusan, Carolyn Heisel, Maya Holzman, Manuel Ledesma and Alexander Malecha.

What was your favorite high school experience/memory?

Bridigum: My experience with the Jefferson Band program has been a highlight of all four years of high school. Really it’s more like three years because of freshman year being online, but ever since I went back to in-person learning I have found a great community within the band program. From marching band halftime shows and trips to Hawaii and Greece to simple daily practices and concerts, I have made many friends and countless memories through high school. My first concert with the band program was in spring of 2021, outside in the Jefferson parking lot. It was windy outside, and our director Mr. Fretland’s conducting scores kept flying off of his stand. It was really funny to see him attempt to gather his music while conducting at the same time. That concert was when I realized how much I wanted to be a part of the band program and I have made it a part of my high school journey ever since.

Crusan: I have loved being a part of the Jefferson softball program since eighth grade. The people I have had the opportunity to play with for the last five years have made every hard practice, every moment of doubt or any loss worth showing up the next day and for the following years. Many of us grew up playing together in the Bloomington Fastpitch Association and have stayed together over the last 10-plus years. High school season allows you to play with friends that you only play against once club softball starts and allows you to grow as both a player and as a person. I will forever be thankful for this program for giving me lifelong friendships and memories.

Heisel: I have so many memories I love from high school. My favorite memory is probably when I went to the state volleyball tournament with our varsity volleyball team during my sophomore year. I wasn’t actually on the varsity roster, I was the manager of the JV team. Being invited to join the roster as a fourth manager was something I hadn’t dared to dream of. I was also one of two sophomores invited, so the older girls took me under their wing. I got to attend the banquet where we were introduced to the rest of the teams, stay in a hotel in downtown St. Paul for two nights, and be in the lower levels of the Xcel Energy Center.

Holzman: At Jefferson High School my favorite experience was participating in the music program. During all four years I participated in the band program, allowing me to have the opportunity to play with the orchestra and choir. In sophomore year I played flute in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Collective and at the winter orchestra concert, and clarinet in Varsity Band for two trimesters. Junior year I played flute in Wind Ensemble and at the winter orchestra concert along with alto saxophone in Jazz Collective. Senior year I played flute in Wind Ensemble, Concert Band for two trimesters, at the winter orchestra concert, on a piece with Chorale at their winter concert, with Bel Canto during the spring concert and Chorale for the last trimester. I’ve also had the opportunity to travel with both the Wind Ensemble and Marching Band to Puerto Rico (sophomore year), Hawaii (junior year), and Greece (senior year).

Ledesma: Senior football season will be one of the best memories to live in my head after I graduate. To sum it all up in one word it would be “brothers.” At first I got annoyed when Coach Carlson would give his classic speech about how we should play for our brother to the right and to the left of each other on the field. It turned out to be one of those things you missed after it ended but didn’t realize how real it was in the moment. Everyone on the team wasn’t super tight with everyone, but we came together as brothers. I know that was one of the leading reasons we did so well and had so much fun.

Malecha: My favorite memory from high school was being a part of the Jefferson baseball program. For spring break this year we went to Vero Beach, Florida, and this was a fantastic experience. We got to stay right on the beach in the heart of the city and played in baseball scrimmages throughout the week. What made the experience so special was that my teammates and I stayed in the same hotel and we got to spend a lot of time with each other during the week. My favorite team activities were going to the beach, playing Spikeball and walking around the city.

What are your plans after graduation?

Bridigum: I will be attending St. Olaf College in Northfield. I plan to continue exploring music there and I am also considering majoring in physics. Making music with my friends is an experience I value a lot, and I want to make sure to continue that experience in college. Physics is a recent interest of mine. I have enjoyed taking my physics and calculus classes and science interests me because I am able to explore the ways the universe works and how different people have attempted to understand it.

Crusan: I will be attending the University of Minnesota-Duluth and majoring in political science. I will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education and eventually my master’s degree for secondary education social studies. Further down the road I plan on earning my administrative and instructional licensure. Possibly my doctorate degree if the man upstairs has a plan for such an ambition to play out. I’ve always wanted to make a difference in other people’s lives, and my teachers (for the most part) made the most difference in mine. Current Principal Anderson went to UMD and the way he does his job has shown me the only limitation in teaching and administration is yourself.

Heisel: I plan on attending South Dakota State University in the fall to study pre-pharmacy. There are many reasons why I like pharmacy. I love chemistry and would be majoring in it if I didn’t attend a school with pre-pharmacy as a major. I have always wanted to help people and I know that pharmacy was a way to do that without having to go through many years of school. I also have a cousin I look up to who is a pharmacist. South Dakota State has a pre-pharmacy program where I can get my PharmD in six years instead of the typical eight. I thought that was appealing because I wanted to enter the workforce earlier.

Holzman: In the fall I’m going to Gustavus Adolphus for music education. Ever since I was young I’ve wanted to have a job where I could impact people’s lives. All the music teachers I’ve had have been my biggest supporters. Scott Arnold helped me get into Angelica Cantati Youth Choirs, Dan Gauper helped me find my passion for concert and jazz band, Shelley Ohnsorg helped me to gain confidence through choir, Jeff Levine grew my love for orchestral music, Brian Ohsnorg has helped me grow as a singer and a flute player and Dan Fretland has helped me love everything about music. They’ve all shown so much care and dedication to their students and I hope that I can bring their love for what they do with me.

Ledesma: My plans after high school consist of continuing my lawn mowing business, starting electrician work at my friend’s dad’s commercial electrical business and going to Normandale Community College this fall to get my generals done and to take business classes. I am interested in the trades and I am not huge into school, so I thought going to community college and learning the electrical trade would be a great way to start my future.

Malecha: I will be attending the University of St. Thomas and I will be studying entrepreneurship. I am passionate about studying entrepreneurship because during my sophomore year, I started my own business. Gear Guyz is an online sports equipment consignment company that focuses on used sports equipment sales through multiple sales channels. I have worked with countless families and businesses to keep unused sports equipment out of landfills. My goal is to keep growing Gear Guyz while also researching other ideas for startup businesses by building off of the knowledge I have gained from my first experience.

There have been many changes in the world during your high school years. How have they affected you?

Bridigum: Along with the pandemic there has come an increased use of technology in schools. Using a school Chromebook to communicate and work on digital assignments does have many benefits to it. However, there are many consequences of this advancement I see daily, mainly in the form of people being continuously glued to their phones. They have been designed by the smartest people in the world to be as addictive as possible, and one only needs to spend a day at Jefferson to see how successful that design has been. As the class of 2024 ages, hopefully we will educate our children about the dangers of this technology.

Crusan: I think the world is at a standstill right now after the last four years and it has inspired me to be kinder, have more compassion for people, be slower to speak and quick to show heart towards others. I feel as though if the world is going to feel divided, be the person who makes someone feel more connected. It has been a wild ride since the 2020 election and global pandemic, it has made conversations harder and connections difficult. Yet for me, it’s made me realize we should cherish our moments with each other and leave the uncomplicated moments, uncomplicated. I’ve learned to appreciate where I’m at and chose to love the people around me because we don’t get to know what’s coming but we know what our lives look like today, so let’s enjoy it.

Heisel: It will be interesting to see what happens with the people in my age group in the next decade or so. Especially because I know a lot of my peers are very disillusioned with our current political climate. The pandemic definitely had a large impact on my freshman and sophomore years. I don’t remember my freshman year very well. I do know that I wouldn’t be the person I am today without my experience as an underclassman.

Holzman: The pandemic messed with my academics the most. The transition from eighth grade to ninth grade was rough. In online sync classes I never learned how to take solid notes, and I’d switch tabs during sync meets. With no one physically in front of me, I felt like I could just do my work later in the day and zone out during the meets. I’ve grown to appreciate the in-person classes as I’ve been able to learn so much better and efficiently.

Ledesma: My freshman year was spent in my kitchen and bedroom for the majority of the time. It did not go well for me. I struggled with receiving help with my homework and struggled even more with not seeing real, full faces everyday, with face-to-face conversions. After going through that, it made me not take simply saying hello to my friends and family with no masks or barriers for granted.

Malecha: My first year of high school was not at all what I had expected ninth grade to be like. It started out all online. My brother, who was a senior at the time, and I got tired of using Google Meets all day so our solution was to play games around our house during our lunch break. We played whiffleball, dodgeball, ping pong and countless other activities. As a result of the pandemic, my brother and I became closer and spent more time together than we would have if we had been in high school full-time.