Once the senior class graduates, I always wonder where they end up and what they’re doing these days. This school year I’d like to showcase some of our awesome Triton alums!
Student: Johnathon Jaeger
Graduation Year: 2017
Current City: South Saint Paul
When Johnnie was at Triton High School he was heavily involved in theater. Johnnie shared that he has many favorite memories of Triton, and many tied to the theater productions he was involved with. He said he had so much fun as Johnathan Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace. He also has fond memories of his teachers, particularly Mr. Felten, who teaches junior chemistry, freshman physical science and a senior physics elective. “He did a wonderful job of making his classes informative but also not taking it too seriously. Even if science isn’t my favorite subject, his classes were enjoyable and memorable,” Johnnie said of Mr. Felten. Instead of science, Johnnie’s favorite class was AP United States History taught by Mr. Day. This class taught Johnnie some of the foundational historical skills that he is using in life today.
Six and a half years after his high school graduation, Johnnie is currently in his master’s program at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He is finishing up the “Heritage Studies and Public History” program planning for a career with museums and historical societies. If any of you know Johnnie, this should come as no surprise as he was quite the history buff while in high school. In fact, Johnnie’s senior project was with the Steele County Historical Society. When asked how his experiences at Triton prepared him for what he’s doing now he felt that senior project is what taught him how to handle large projects and in general put him down the path he’s on now. “While the project might feel like an unnecessary burden at the time, it can help you workshop what kind of career you would like.”
Johnnie shares his advice for today’s high school students: “Take school seriously but have fun with the time you have. For better or worse, you may not keep in touch with your classmates after. Also, choose a career path that works for you; no post-high school plan works for everyone.” Everyone’s path is different, but everyone needs a plan to get there!
Student: Samantha Fernandez
Graduation Year: 2017
We just finished up homecoming at Triton during the first week of October and this is what Sam remembers as her favorite times while she was in high school. She loved that homecoming was so fun and full of excitement and also enjoyed the dress-up days. Ms. Luskey, a former Triton art teacher, was her favorite because she helped Sam with her art and motivated her to be a better artist. Ms. Luskey always believed in her and gave her confidence. Unsurprisingly, any of the art classes were her favorite classes as she loved creating and being creative. Sam also enjoyed foreign language. Additionally, she shares that some of her most helpful classes proved to be computer applications and computer programming, along with English classes. She feels these classes prepared her for her current college writing assignments. She also believes her math and science courses at Triton helped to prepare her for her current college courses as well.
Nowadays Samantha is working at Viracon while she also attends South Central College-North Mankato full-time. Currently she is studying to be a medical laboratory technician. She will work towards her associate’s degree now and is considering getting a bachelor’s degree after that. Sam recommends that high school students “pay attention and ask for help if they need it.” “Another piece of advice I have is to sign up for various school clubs and do volunteer work if you can while still in school.” Triton’s service day is coming up on October 21st so all Triton High School students can start following Sam’s advice soon!
Thank you for updating us, Johnnie & Sam! We wish you luck as you complete your education!
