As Academy seniors near the end of high school, many questions fill their minds, especially, “What will college be like?”. While the idea of college is exciting and a bit scary, the most vital question most seniors wonder is not, “Will my roommate be nice?” or, “How hard will my classes be?”; rather, its is, “Will I be able to use my princess backpack while at college?” Yes, this nerve-wracking question haunts the seniors as they wonder if their college peers will be as accepting of their cartoon-character-laden lunchboxes as Academy is.

Many seniors believe it depends on where you go. For instance, senior Meaghan Whele is considering attending St. Mary’s College, an all-girls, Catholic school. She says that she loves being herself and if she ends up at St. Mary’s she will have no problem sporting her Disney princess lunchbox. However, Meaghan is also considering the University of Central Florida, a large, public university.If she does attend UCF, she says she would definitely choose more appropriate school gear.

“People are more judgmental, and it’s the real world,” Meaghan says. “It’s no longer the sheltered, welcoming Academy environment. In college you’re studying for what you want to do. You need to be taken seriously.”

Senior Christina Lodato states that if she were to attend a larger university, “No, I wouldn’t keep my Spiderman backpack, to be honest. I wouldn’t be the coolest kid on campus with that backpack.” Amanda McWilliams, who sports a giant SpongeBob on her backpack, agrees, “No, I need a more mature backpack to be respected by my peers.”

While Academy shelters its students in a protective environment, most Academy seniors agree that college is the time to show more maturity and become the respected women they are meant to be, even if that means placing their Disney gear aside and embracing a more mature choice in school equipment.  As young women graduate from Academy, they should also graduate from cartoon lunch boxes and move on to bigger, better, and more mature things.