Graduation is just around the corner. Barnstable High School seniors are counting down the days until May 23 — the beginning of their summer. But that’s not the only thing that’s racing through their minds. The fall is the start of a new chapter in all of their lives. Some are taking the common route and going to college, others are joining the military, and some are even taking a year off to pursue their dreams. These seniors are ready to take on anything that’s ahead of them.

Adam Garcia

Engineering

Adam Garcia doesn’t yet know what school he’s going to, but he does know that he wants to major in electrical and computer engineering. This major involves learning things like developing new computer and power systems. Garcia wants to join ROTC and become an officer and mission specialist for NASA. Towards the end of last year, Garcia decided on what he wanted to do. “My plans always change,” said Garcia. At first, he wanted to be a pilot but realized he couldn’t because his eyesight isn’t 20/20. “I’ve always wanted to be in the military, but I’ve always wanted to go to college, too,” he added, “If I do both, it’ll help pay for college and I’ll be part of something.” Garcia figured this path would be perfect for him, considering his love for math and problem solving. Garcia’s advice for underclassmen is “to keep trying and be the best you can be, even if you don’t have a set plan. There are unlimited possibilities.”

Laney Johnson

Professional Dancing

Louisville, Kentucky native Laney Johnson moved to the Cape her sophomore year from Ballard High School to dance at Boston Ballet School, one of the most renowned dance schools in the nation. Johnson has been dancing since she was three years old, and wants to continue dancing after high school at The Boston Ballet. Currently, Johnson is in the pre-professional program, which is an audition-only, highly competitive program that rigorously trains students to be prepared for the professional ballet industry. “Ten years from now I want to be in a professional ballet company,” said Johnson. Johnson hopes to take online classes in the fall so she can keep her focus on dancing. If she wasn’t dancing, Johnson said she would love to study history. “The goal is to find something you’re interested in and something that will make you happy,” she added.

Julia Corbett

Fashion Designer To-Be

Julia Corbett is working to reach her goal to become a successful fashion designer. Corbett took Barnstable’s fashion design course her freshman year, but then switched to fine arts for her sophomore, junior, and senior years. She took fashion design again this year, and has an internship with a Mashpee clothing company called GreenLine by K. Corbett’s job is to draw the clothing and she is also a co-designer. Corbett has done various photoshoots and modeled pieces she’s co-designed. “I really want to go to school in New York City,” said Corbett. She  hopes to eventually have her own clothing line one day. “I want to create gowns and then eventually see my pieces on the red carpet,” said Corbett. Corbett wished she stuck with what she wanted a lot earlier, but is glad she’s taking the right path towards her dream.

Emmanuel Dulak

Gap Year Apprenticeship

Emmanuel Dulak plans to take a gap year this fall to experiment. Dulak has an apprenticeship set up with carpenter Mike Dwyer, where he’ll learn all the tricks of the trade. He also plans to explore his passion for painting. While he hasn’t ever taken a painting class, Dulak said he “just likes working with houses and different architectural designs.” He wants to be more involved in how they look up close than just in a picture. Dulak doesn’t exactly know where he’ll end up over the next few years, but he does know he wants to continue on his education after his gap year. “I want to see how much I’ll like carpentry over the next year,” said Dulak, “And if I do enjoy it, I’ll go to school for constructional design.” If he had the chance, Dulak said he would go to Philadelphia University since they have a big architecture program. Dulak said that if you don’t quite know what you want to do yet, don’t feel rushed to go to college right after high school; take a gap year and experiment.

Dakota Kelly

Marine Corps

Dakota Kelly is eager to join the Marine after graduation. His grandfather, who was a father figure to him all of his life, was a Marine. According to Kelly,  nothing would make him happier than to continue on his grandfather’s legacy. “He really instilled a lot of things that [the Marines] showed him in me,” said Kelly. He has already researched the Marine Corps thoroughly and has been recruited. “I actually talked to a recruiter before I decided what I wanted to do when I went in, and I decided that my MOS [military occupational specialty] is going to be military police.” Kelly said that this training will be a good base for when he becomes a police officer. Kelly also sees himself as a state trooper or possibly still in the Marine Corps, depending on how much he likes it. “My deployment date is next September,” said Kelly, “to Paris Island.” Kelly said he has put a lot of thought into what he wants to do and feels like he’s made the right decision.

Spencer O’Connor, Bryant Volk, and Jake Rockness

Moving Picture House Band

Spencer O’Connor, Bryant Volk, and Jake Rockness formed Moving Picture House this summer, an indie/alternative band. The band started with just Rockness and O’Connor “jamming,” said O’Connor. When the two of them decided they wanted to start a band, they asked Volk to learn to play the bass. He did, and the three of them started recording their songs in November, and started playing live in January. Their influence stems from “60s pop and folk along with 90s indie and punk,” O’Connor said. Since January, Moving Picture House has performed at several venues, in towns from Wareham and Providence. The three of them agree they would like to keep the band performing, but are all hesitant to take the time off from school to do so. Despite that, they are still attempting to make a name for themselves; their most current goal is to get gigs in Boston.

Nicole Neville

Ivy Bound

Nicole Neville has been admitted to three of the top schools in the country: Princeton University, MIT, and Cornell. However, she has had her eye on Princeton since junior year after she visited, due to its “really strong undergraduate program and beautiful campus,” said Neville. Part of what makes her stand out among the other intelligent, talented students applying to the coveted university is her major – engineering. “I figured I like math and science, might as well combine them,” said Neville. She is not sure what her focus will be, but is leaning towards electrical or financial engineering. Additionally, she plans to run in the running club on campus and participate in community service. Although she is almost positive she is attending Princeton in the fall after getting almost a full ride, she is still waiting to hear back from Harvard.

Hayden Murphy

Princeton Football Scholarship

Joining Neville this fall is Hayden Murphy. After a long process that started junior year with many camps and talks with coaches, he has committed to the Princeton football team. Murphy has been on the BHS varsity football team since sophomore year, where he has been a key player as running back. He will start his journey earlier than most college freshmen by heading to New Jersey the second week in July.  Murphy will start working out with other athletes on the campus, and gain two college credits this summer. He does not know what his major will be, but for now he will focus on being a new running back for the Princeton Tigers, where he will play with 2013 BHS graduate Nick Peabody.

Lindsay Partin

Swimming and Studying at Tufts

Lindsay Partin will also pursue athletics in school this fall at Tufts University, where she will be a member of the swim team. Partin applied to Tufts early decision, solidifying her plan early in her senior year. Swimming is not her only goal, though. Initially, she wanted to major in biology with pre-med, but after looking at other majors, she is starting to think about another focus, while pursuing a pre-med plan. Partin also has another passion that she has no intention of giving up, and hopes to minor in art. She hopes to be able to combine medicine and art in her future career. “I think it would be cool to be a medical illustrator,” said Partin. She said she hopes her artistic ability will show a different side of her that the pre-med program will appreciate.