Moving from Stockholm to Tucson is an enormous change. Moving from UHS to Sahuaro, while not as dramatic, was also a pretty big deal for Senior Emily Jonaton.  Emily moved to Stockholm, Sweden when she was five and attended an international school. She came back to her home-town and continued her education with TUSD, attending University High School from ninth to eleventh grade.  In her senior year, Emily made the decision to transfer to Sahuaro.

UHS is a nationally ranked college prep school, which prepares students for college through a challenging and rigorous curriculum. Her parents at first were hesitant of her leaving, but realized it was better for her future.  After three years of attending UHS, Emily Jonaton decided to come to Sahuaro, not because she couldn’t handle the workload, but because she decided to focus on her true calling, art.

When I asked her what caused her to come to Sahuaro, she simply replied, “My friend Elizabeth left after sophomore year. I was tempted to go, but I didn’t. Nothing inspired me.” She came to Sahuaro because it was her local high school and all her friends were here. UHS stressed her out and it was not good for her mental health. She needed more time with her art and moving was better for her in the future.

UHS requires students to pursue Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Emily went to Gridley Middle School and felt she was not prepared for super demanding academics. UHS gave her no time for a social life because of all the extra hours of homework and studying required by her teachers, which took too much time. UHS is lecture- based and you only get to put down your pencil at the end of class because of all the note-taking. Much different from Sahuaro.

UHS has some good aspects as well, according to Emily, such as she learned great study skills. She does miss aspects of UHS. She misses the lecture-based learning. At UHS, teachers give you the topic and you have to study on your own and work on your own. A lot of independence. It was really weird for her to actually be guided through topics and not have much independent work. She does not regret going and feels she is better prepared for college. They do have many electives there, including  an Art Club, but they did not really do anything. At Sahuaro, we have an amazing Art Club, sponsored by art teacher, Mr. Long.

It was not hard for Emily to leave UHS. She had a few friends there and is still in contact with them. Although it was hard getting to learn a new campus after three years of attending another school, the switch was not so bad. She has friends here and has more time to create an art portfolio.

When I asked her if she liked Sahuaro and the art club here, she replied, “Sahuaro is different. I have much more time. It’s good but it is still high school.” As for the art club, it is fun and you get to meet new people. You get to interact with people who have the same interest as you.