Universities and colleges around the world are staring their fall sessions this month, intaking EHS graduates. But for those who haven’t graduated, some have different feelings on their friends leaving.

For most students, seeing their friends leave was a sad moment for them. Senior Avery Hamilton felt the same when 2022 graduate Emilie Fry graduated – who Hamilton had known for five years.

“When she graduated, I was excited for her but now I am sad and miss having her around,” Hamilton said.

For others, it was exciting for them in one way or another. 2022 graduate Ryan Watts left for Iowa State, but his younger brother, senior Jacob Watts, was excited for the change.

“Ryan being in college excites me because he had the car before he moved away and now that he’s gone, I have an easy form of transportation,” Watts said.

While most who graduate from EHS are most likely to go to SIUE, there are some who leave home and leave Edwardsville – making it hard to visit friends.

When senior Izzy O’Day’s older sister, 2022 graduate Josie O’Day, graduated, Josie moved to St. Louis to attend Maryville University

“I will definitely be visiting her,” Izzy said. “There won’t be many opportunities, but she is within driving distance, and she will be stopping home sometimes too.”

For others, it isn’t friends or siblings – it’s a relationship. Senior Lillian Armstrong and 2022 graduate Ren Mollett’s relationship hasn’t changed after Mollett’s graduation.

“I have many forms of communication with them, we text during school (when we aren’t in class, obviously),” Armstrong said. “We call each other on the way to work or on the way home and we make plans every other day or so.”

It can take some time for the separation to hit. This is what happened with senior Lexi Trimm and 2022 graduate Jenae Wright, who is at the University of Illinois.

“I was super sad (cried watching graduation) but it didn’t feel real until she moved out,” Trimm said. “I’m still sad about it and miss her a lot!”

In the end of the transition to university and leaving EHS, most are happy to see where their friends go.

“I’m very proud of him and so happy that this transition has gone this smoothly so far,” Armstrong said.