3rd quarter grades and graduation, spring 2087

June 11, 2087. Congratulations to this year's graduates: Selena Sosa, Dallas Deppiesse, Liza Hathe, and Marcus Sylvester! 

* grades at the end

Tonight we gather at the theater hall of the Casbah Arts Center in San Myshuno, California to celebrate graduates from the nation's universities and high schools. Students and their families have traveled from near and far to commemorate this great occasion.





Selena Sosa, age 23, graduates from Sierra Nova University with a Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Studies. She completed her senior internship as a kitchen chef and bartender for Riley Sky Suites, where she plans to continue on after graduation. She doesn't have many definite plans for her future, but she dreams of a bustling home where she can someday cook generous holiday meals for friends and family.



Dallas Deppiesse, age 22, graduates from the ISCA Interstellar Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. He completed his senior internship with the ISCA, where he will continue his work as a mechanic. He will move with his wife and daughter to Fort Hollow, Washington for the remainder of his service with the ISCA. He recently enjoyed a lovely wedding and relaxing honeymoon with his new bride, Lucy, and he looks forward to diving into his work.



Elizabeth Hathe, age 18, graduates from Lakes District High School. She scored an impressive 29.85 (out of 26.0) on her final skills testing exams and has earned herself this year's heftiest scholarship package, valued at $6,500. She won awards for handiness, fishing, writing, cooking, logic, and fitness, as well as the National Scholar's Award. She was mostly uncertain about a major, knowing only that she liked science and history, and she wants to stay nearby her beloved Robbie while he finishes his senior year of high school. She didn't know which college would suit her best, but Dresden College was nearest to Robbie, so she plans to attend there for her first year of studies.



Marcus Sylvester, age 18, graduates from Pacific District High School, scoring 24.12 on his final skills testing exams. He earned a scholarship package of $4,750, with awards in writing, painting, and logic, as well as the National Scholar's Award. Marcus, with his artistic flair and dramatics, found a natural attraction to Dresden Arts College, where he plans to major in Drama. Look for him on the big screen some day, he says.

—

Now, some picspam of the graduates with their family and loved ones:


Selena with her boyfriend of four years, Luis.




Dallas and Lucy.


Liza with her parents, Chad and Riley.


And with her boyfriend, Robbie.


Marcus with his parents, Deidre and Raymond, and his big brother Andre. Big sister Aliyah would have loved to attend tonight, but she is currently home in Potomac Heights with her newborn daughter.

—

After the ceremony, graduates and their families mingled in the gallery and cafeteria of the Casbah Arts Center, featuring a spread of light appetizers and desserts. The bar, however, was not free.

"Hold up, her drink is on me," Andre said to the bartender, sliding onto the stool next to Selena.

"Thanks," she said. "But I only ordered a water."

Andre laughed. "I'll have to owe you one then."

"Sure. And hey, congrats to your brother, too. What an exciting time for him. He's going up north for college. That's very daring for a desert boy!"

"I don't think he's realized yet how cold the winters get there," Andre said.


"So where’s Luis?"

Selena shrugged. Luis had been kind of a bummer on her big night. Once upon a time, this was supposed to be his graduation night, too.

"Don't worry about him," she said. "He’s just not in a super great mood. You know he bombed his exams a few semesters ago. But his internship is going well, his boss likes him and plans to keep him on, so he barely cares about his grades anymore. Just enough to finish."

Andre knew pretty much everything about Selena's relationship with Luis. They had lots of time to talk in between their classes, while Luis stacked extra credits because he was so far behind. Andre knew about her wanting six kids, a big bustling family like her beloved grandmother, and Luis wanted “negative two” (if that were ever possible) because his parents had only ever failed him and then they died. Luis hated everything about the idea of raising children—the obligation, the noise, the expense, the babyproofing, the mess.

Selena told Andre these things in confidence, when she was lonely, when Luis spent the year busting his butt to make up his failed semester and nearly failed all over again. She expected to be lonely for another whole year while Luis finished up his courses on top of a full-time job.


"I'm sticking around after graduation," she said. "Maybe we can hang out some time."

"Actually, I wish. But I’m transferring after this semester."

One friend gone. Maybe Selena would be even lonelier than she thought.

"Oh? That’s too bad," she said. "But, I mean, I suppose you wouldn't be going unless you had a good reason."

"Potomac Medical College seems like a better fit," he said. "And it’s cheaper. And my sister just had a baby, so I though I could help her out a little out there."

"You’re so sweet, Andre. It’ll be nice for her to have some family out there. I miss my family all the time. Family is so important."

"I couldn't agree more. I read that bit about your holiday dinners in the program notes. I see that for you. You'll have it some day."

"You really think?"


Not with Luis, maybe, Andre thought. Only going by what Selena told him. He barely knew Luis personally. But he knew Selena, and Selena deserved to be happy and have everything she ever dreamed of. He wouldn't say most of that out loud. But on what might be the last night he ever saw her, only one thing came to mind to say. "Selena, I’m in love with you."

"Oh," she said. Selena froze, her eyes went wide, but not with surprise. No, this was not a surprise. That he had a crush on her was clear as day. It was just that she didn't actually expect him to say out loud. She'd been trying to deny it. His friendship had been so pleasant this past year. She didn't want things to become awkward. Maybe that was selfish of her.

Everything Selena told Andre was out of friendship and fondness, not love. Or, not the same kind of love he felt, she expected. Her feelings for Andre were best kept tidy and discreet. Sure, he was very handsome, and kind, and probably shared a similar outlook on life and values. But no. Selena didn't want to know. Because she loved Luis and Luis loved her back and surely love conquered all, even the most fundamental life differences.


"Oh, Andre. Why?"

Andre was such a kind soul, he would only ever assume someone would take those words with only graciousness. Maybe in another life or time, Selena might have felt gracious for them.

"I’m sorry," Andre tried to say. "I just thought..."


Before Andre could finish that thought, Luis had returned.


"Hey, babe, don’t fill up on chips. I’m taking you out for a steak dinner to celebrate."

"Steak sounds good," Selena said.

It was what it was. And maybe it wasn't a complete loss. She didn't think Luis was opposed to marriage itself. Maybe not all of her dreams were lost. Luis was her first love, only love, and four years was a lot to think about. Maybe they could make it work. Maybe he might change his mind as they grew older? She wasn't ready to contemplate the alternative.


As she and Luis left, Selena tried to offer her friend one last sympathetic glance. He couldn't bear to turn his head. She understood.

—

(click for bigger)

Students all did pretty well this quarter. Among the uni crowd, Ariel and Josie got plenty of play, so there's no excuse for their C-'s. They must have focused too much on finding dates instead of their studies. However, Drake managed to do just fine, so who knows?

University honor roll: Sarah Harris is still pulling a cumulative 100% at the end of her first year. Go Sarah! Dallas Deppiesse averages 94.6% over four years of studies. We'll see if Sarah can keep up that perfect score of hers over the long haul.

High school honor roll for this quarter goes to the usual crowd again:

Liza Hathe, 105%

Emaline Pickett, 104%

Susie Collins, 103%

Kayla Hall, 103%

And Elizabeth Trudgen shines for the little kids at 103%. 

Everyone averaged out with at least a pass, although recommended for summer studies are: Sam Harris, Ryanne Phoenix, Devon Shaw, Reid Morton, Harry Alonso, and Colt Rodriguez. 

—

story notes: it seems I've written more about Selena and Luis on Tumblr than I have on this blog, lately. The two of them always had these little tidbits, but never seemed enough to make into a full story until now. 

This is probably the first update Andre has been a focus in. I swear swear swear I wrote about him once, when I first made his family, but now I can't find that post so maybe I imagined writing it, lol! His backstory goes: he just moved to Sierra Nova this school year, after spending the first 2 years after high school abroad with Greenpeace. He wanted to go traveling after high school, but felt guilty about not lending a hand during the war. So he joined Greenpeace instead, where he picked up some handiness and medic skills aiding the injured and displaced during the war. Then the war ended and he enrolled in college to finish out a pre-med degree. He has ambitions of becoming an emergency room doctor. 

gameplay notes: the way my Sims 4 game has shaped up, I'm playing 3 school districts and 3-6 universities (depending on enrollment) every calendar year. It would be ridiculous to stage a graduation ceremony for each individual school. So my students live in a world where they have to travel (yes, sometimes across the whole country) to attend their graduation ceremony. Remember, we are pretending they have access to an affordable high-speed train network. (TS4 sims do teleport between worlds, after all.)

Likewise, I'm still struggling to make sense of how my high schoolers from all over the country might get together for a senior prom. I used to really love doing proms for my sims, so I'd like to figure something out. It will probably end up being a similar travel scenario for most of them. Starting next year, maybe. This year, I only had two high school seniors, one of whom (Liza) couldn't care less about a formal school dance. Marcus might have enjoyed a prom, but he'll have to get over it. ;)