As senior year comes to a close, members of the Class of 2025 are reflecting on what they’ve learned—both inside and outside the classroom. From time management tips to lessons in friendship and confidence, their advice offers a glimpse into the highs and lows that defined their high school experiences.

Linda Gabele: Be Open and Reach Out

“Be open to meeting new people and try to connect with them as well,” Gabele said.

Gabele also encourages students to step outside their comfort zones. “Stay locked in and make friends with people you normally wouldn’t be with,” she said. “It’s easy to stick with familiar faces, but some of the most meaningful friendships come from unexpected places.”

Casey Watkins: Try, Connect, and Slow Down

For Watkins, high school has been centered around connection, effort, and reflection. One of his most meaningful experiences has come from being on a team. “Being part of a sports community like water polo is a sense of brotherhood, and it’s so awesome,” he said.

He also encourages others to take initiative socially. “You should never be shy. You can’t go out and make friends without trying,” Watkins added. “Definitely try to make the best out of every difficult situation, and don’t forget to slow down and enjoy the time.”

Kasra Motamedi: It’s Okay, Just Keep Going

Senior Kasra Motamedi has learned a lot—sometimes the hard way. “Talk to your teachers when something is wrong. Teachers want you to succeed and they don’t want you to fail,” he said.

Motamedi also regrets waiting too long to finish assignments. “I wish I didn’t procrastinate as much,” he said. “I wouldn’t have had so much stress and I’d be able to have more fun.”

For Motamedi, keeping perspective is key. “It will be alright in the end—what college you go to, your friends, and everything else,” he said.

Don’t care too much about what people think. I used to think too much about what others thought, and it would ruin my mood. I’d even change how I act in front of others,” Motamedi shared.

Juliana Gamez-Diaz: Don’t Hold Back, and Study Hard

To Gamez-Diaz, social advice is just as important as academic tips. “Don’t be scared to talk to new people and  to do things that are embarrassing,” she said. “If you’re too scared to be embarrassed, you can hold back on a lot of things.”

When it comes to academics—especially in a big school—her biggest takeaway is the value of focused studying. “Focusing a lot on doing deep studying is better because multi-tasking is just a waste of time,” she explained.  “If you’re so distracted, it takes like hours to do things, but like, if you’re in deep focus, you can get it done in, like a small amount of time. Short forms of content and, like, TikTok, it’s like, it’s like your attention span decreases.”

Lainey Egnal: Stay Organized

If there’s anyone who figured out how to manage senior year wisely, its Lainey Egnal. As a Dance Team captain juggling college applications and a social life, Egnal found that planning ahead made all the difference. “Do as much as you can as a junior and the summer before senior year,” she said.

“You have UCPIQS (personal insight questions) and the Common App questions summer before senior year. If you get those done, by the time you get to first semester senior year, all you have left is supplementals,” she explained. “It will make your life ten times easier.”

“Don’t stress too much about doing something all the time, usually you are doing exactly what you need to be doing,” Egnal concluded.

Phoebe Matin: Live while you can

Matin encourages underclassman not to waste their time worrying about the wrong things. “Don’t care what other people think,” she said. “Do what you can to have a good time and live—these years go by so quickly.”

Her favorite memories were not made in the classroom, but rather outside with friends. “Go out on the Green and play spikeball with your friends,” she said. “The small, joyful moments stick the most.”

Alessandro Delfin Novoa: Work Hard and Enjoy

Alessandro Delfin Novoa has one big tip for balancing academics and fun: plan ahead. “Take all of your hard classes your junior year,” he said. “Taking hard classes junior year means you can enjoy your senior year.”

For Novoa, authenticity remains crucial in high school. “Just stay true to yourself. High school goes by a lot faster than you think, and I feel like every moment you have to make the most of it,” he said.

His biggest piece of advice? Embrace failure. “Don’t be afraid to fail. I feel like part of my high school journey was definitely shaped by my downs,” he said.

Sandi Rodriguez was named Assistant Director of Student Athlete Services in October 2018 after serving as the Administrative Assistant to Soccer, Softball and Tennis programs since 2015. 

Her current sport oversight includes Baseball, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Beach Volleyball, & Indoor Volleyball.

Prior to this appointment, Rodriguez served as an Administrative Assistant for Women’s Basketball, Men’s Golf, Women’s Golf, Soccer, Softball, and Tennis from July 2015. 

The Gray, LA. native, began her career as the McNeese Academic Study Lab Coordinator from January 2011 – June 2013. She received her Associate degree from McNeese in December 2010 and her Bachelor degree in December 2012. 

Rodriguez is deeply involved in the community serving multiple roles within Pack 107 as a committee member, unit fundraising chair, unit advancement chair, and a pack administrator.

Rodriguez and her husband Jason have one son, Braedon. 

 

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State Men’s Basketball has secured the commitment of Demarshay Johnson Jr., as the big man will reunite with Chris Acker, transferring to the Beach from San Diego State.
 
Demarshay Johnson Jr. | Center | 6-10, 220 | Richmond, Calif.
 
A high-level Division I transfer with experience and familiarity with Chris Acker from their time together at San Diego State, Johnson comes to the Beach after four seasons with the Aztecs program, where he played in 39 games as a depth option in the post. Johnson appeared in 14 games as a junior, setting career highs of eight points and eight rebounds while playing at San Diego State. Coming out of high school as the No. 27 center in the nation, Johnson led Salesian College Prep to three TCAL titles.
 
Acker on Johnson:
“I had the pleasure of coaching Demarshay for three seasons at San Diego State. Each year I saw his drive and competitive spirit grow. He is now ready for the opportunity to take a major step forward. I saw him take huge strides in games last season where he was a huge reason why San Diego State won some of those games. His IQ, athleticism, and versatility defensively will help our defense take a major step forward this season. He’s also shown flashes of being able to impact games on the offensive end as well.”
 
The addition of Johnson Jr. gives Long Beach State another Division I transfer, joining Isaiah Lewis and Shaquil Bender as commits for the 2025-26 squad. He joins returner Derrick Michael Xzavierro and highly touted incoming freshman Dallas Washington in what should be an exciting front court next season.
 

Two high jumpers refused to accept their medals at Saturday’s Oregon state track and field championships, opting instead to protest the inclusion of a transgender athlete at Hayward Field.

Tigard’s Alexa Anderson and Sherwood’s Reese Eckard (who finished third and fourth, respectively) stood on the back side of the podium and didn’t grab their medals.

One of the athletes, who tied for fifth in the high jump, is a transgender girl. The Oregonian/OregonLive is not naming the transgender athlete to protect her privacy.

Video from the day showed that a podium official gestured for Anderson and Eckard to move out of the way of the podium.

As of the 2024-25 school year, the OSAA’s policy on gender identity participation (Policy 37) allows student-athletes to participate in the activity that aligns with their “consistently asserted gender identity.”

Anderson told Fox News that she and Eckard protested at the podium in response to the OSAA’s policy that allows transgender students to participate in the sports that align with their gender identity.

“We didn’t refuse to stand on the podium out of hate. We did it because someone has to say this isn’t right,” she told Fox News. “In order to protect the integrity and fairness of girls sports we must stand up for what is right.”

The OSAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the student protest.

While there were no audible complaints from the crowd during the weekend, some attendees wore shirts that showed their displeasure with the OSAA’s current policy. Many wore shirts that said “Save girls sports” or shirts with “XX” on them to symbolize female chromosomes.

There was also some backlash on social media among anti-transgender accounts on X (formerly known as Twitter) like Riley Gaines and former tennis champion Martina Navratilova.

At the track and field state championships in 2024, McDaniels’ Ada Gallagher became the first known transgender student-athlete to win an individual state championship in Oregon. The OSAA keeps track of participation numbers in all activities, but the data does not include what gender a student was assigned at birth.

Gallagher’s time at Hayward Field last spring was a much different sight from this year’s state championships.

Last year’s 200- and 400-meter podium finishers were accompanied by Eugene law enforcement, and brought out to receive their medals by a different door on the ground floor at Hayward Field to ensure that they didn’t cross in front of fans in the stands.

Every time Gallagher’s name was called in the 2024 state meet, boos could be heard from the stands. They were loudest for the 200-meter dash final she won and were even louder when she was presented her medal.

This year, the Class 6A high jumpers were escorted to the field by an OSAA staffer. There was no visible law enforcement presence during the podium ceremony.

“We always review and try to learn from our events about how we can continue to provide a meaningful, championship experience to all student-athletes,” OSAA Executive Director Peter Weber told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at preventing transgender women and girls from participating in the sports that align with their gender identity.

A month later, that order was followed up with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opening an investigation into Portland Public Schools and the Oregon School Activities Association, claiming that the two entities are in violation of Title IX by allowing a transgender girl to compete in girls sports.

Weber has told The Oregonian/OregonLive that a policy that discriminates based on gender identity could lead to a loss of funding for schools under Oregon state law.

— Nik Streng covers high school sports in Oregon. Reach him at nstreng@oregonian.com or @NikStreng