This previously ran in our 2022 June Senior Issue.

Tessa Fritz has spent the past four years at Emmaus High School, finding new ways to involve herself in the community, both inside and outside the building. During her freshman and sophomore years, she was involved with Buzz Magazine as the director of photography. For the past two years, she has been tasked with documenting the class of 2022 as historian. She is also a member of the National Honor Society, Activism Club, and SOAR. 

In the fall, Fritz will attend the University of Vermont in Burlington as an undecided major, but she is leaning towards something in the environmental science field. 

Stinger: What’s been the most challenging part of your senior year? How about the easiest part? 

Fritz: The hardest part was probably the whole application process for college and visiting colleges and trying to decide what I want to do and where I want to go, while also balancing school at the same time. That was stressful. The easiest part for me was re-socializing after COVID-19. It was nice to be able to be with people every day again. 

Stinger: What excites you most about college? 

Fritz: Meeting new people and being in a new environment, since I’ve been in the same little house in Emmaus my whole life. I’m excited to go out of state. 

Stinger: What is your favorite part of Activism Club and SOAR? 

Fritz: Once again, the people, and getting involved in our community, specifically in the school; I feel like that was pretty cool to be a part of. I am very passionate about change and making sure that our voices are heard. Being able to maybe have an influence on someone else while being involved in these things is very inspiring and important to me. I also really enjoy looking at things from other perspectives, and meeting people from these clubs gives me the opportunity to do that. 

Stinger: What was your favorite high school memory? Why? 

Fritz: Just a couple of weeks ago, before our AP Environmental Science exam, our teacher, Mrs. Kneller, took us outside and gave us chalk to outline the whole unit on the sidewalk. I love being outside and I have made some really great connections with friends through that class. Spending time with them and having fun was really stress-relieving for me. I was really nervous about all the exams I was going to have to take and have spent a lot of my free time studying, so being able to just draw out everything in my brain was a really nice break for me. 

Stinger: Any advice for underclassmen? 

Fritz: Don’t slack off but also don’t overstress yourself. Find a good balance between work and social life because I know a lot of people do one or the other. And it’s not healthy. 

Stinger: What’s a song that describes your high school career? 

Fritz: “Never Grow Up” by Taylor Swift. I feel like it is a perfect example of how fast high school goes and how quickly you come in as a 14-year-old and then you go off on your own.