When she first came to high school, Havely Thomas knew no one, having come to the school without any friends from Pieper Middle School. She had to start from scratch and leave her bubble to find a group of friends to stick with. However, it didn’t take her long to find her place, despite her initial fear of going to such a small school.

   “At the beginning of freshman year everyone was a little standoffish,” Thomas said. “But since then things have mellowed out.”

   Still, adjusting to high school was rather difficult, especially with COVID-19 going on at the time of her freshman year—almost everyone was online or wearing masks. But since freshmen year, Havely has bought herself a car and gotten a job at HEB where she’s been working since 2022. Where, much to her luck, she came across a corporate-level illustrator and graphic designer. She met him while working in the bagging area and got his business card after he offered her an understudy position once she graduated high school. 

   “I am thinking of working in graphic design or marketing,” Thomas said.

   Her family will be helping her and her older brother get a house near UTSA to get a Bachelor’s in marketing, as they both plan on going there. While they are going to school, working, and paying rent, she plans on sticking to what makes her happy, her friends and pets. 

   “UTSA is one of the best schools in my opinion,” Thomas said. “It is nearby and I have friends that are going there.”

   Time flew by, and she’s graduating soon. She is going to miss her friends and the teachers, but college is a new part of her life that she is both scared of and excited about. It’s a new chapter of her life she now gets to explore, and no matter where it takes her, she’s deciding to go head first with a running start.