After four years of attending Armijo High School, Nathan Burnley is ready to look to the future.

Burnley’s plan after graduating in June is to attend Cogswell University, but before that, “I want to get an internship with the help of YearUp.” YearUp is a program that helps African-American students connect with the corporate world. Those who want to learn more can check it out at https://www.yearup.org/.

While he has his future in his sites, he still had some memories of his past to share. “My favorite memory is when my friends and I used to go to the library at lunch while talking about our day,” he said. He and his friends would play video games and laugh together.

It’s been a while since he’s shared those moments, but he hasn’t given up hope. “Maybe one day we can see each other in real life, not on a screen, again,” he said. Screen time hasn’t been a drawback all the time, though. Burnley has been an avid video game player since fifth grade. “It has allowed me to make a lot of friends in high school and everywhere else,” he said.

When school does return to session, Burnley said that he hopes that at least one rule would be more strictly enforced – the No Smoking policy. “I am so darned tired of trying to use the bathroom and people smoking and vaping in the bathroom so that I have to walk across the entire campus to use the bathroom,” he said.

He also hopes that students take their classes more seriously. “My advice is to do your best in class to make a good life and come to class don’t wander around campus all day,” Burnley said.

While COVID-19 has impacted Burnley in the same way as other students in that he has not been able to hang out with his friends, he’s thankful none of his family has contracted the virus.