AIZHIA POBLETE
On Beginnings & Endings: A (Senior) Photo Essay
As a student freelance photographer for friends at the University of Georgia, I have been able to capture one of life’s special achievements–collegiate senior photos. Especially at such a renowned University, UGA students are surrounded by years-old traditions, landmarks, and legacies; such senior photos are celebrations of 4-5 years of cramming for exams, over-caffeinating, and pulling all-nighters. This milestone is only achieved through hard work and dedication. Being a senior myself (who graduates in May!), the thought of leaving UGA certainly brings a tear to my eye, but I am more than ready for what is beyond the doors of undergraduate studies. Taking these beautiful, nostalgic photos for others as a tangible keepsake of their dedication to UGA has been a wonderful and reflective experience–I understand how special these final moments are, and I am thankful to have the opportunity to capture them.
I have asked 4 of my senior photo “clients” to answer the following: How has your life changed since these photos were taken? Who were you then, who are you now? In addition, they have provided their high school senior photos so they can compare them with their collegiate photos. Senior Pictures can tell thousands of words–these words perfectly capture Beginnings and Endings in a bittersweet manner.
Emma Coughlin - High School
Emma Coughlin - College
Emma Coughlin, UGA Spring ‘24 Graduate:
My life has changed immensely since these photos were taken! Looking at these photos really brought me back to that time of my life and the emotions that come with leaving home and graduating high school. I remember feeling very confused and anxious for what was to come and being pulled in many different directions by the people in my life. It took five years and three different universities for me to find where I felt I truly belonged, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
When I look at these photos, I see a baby-faced 17-year-old who, despite the big smile, was feeling lost and unsure about what to do with her life. I was becoming restless with my day to day life that comes with being a high schooler but terrified to leave my friends, family, and coworkers behind. I am now a happy and healthy 23 year old, working as a flight attendant for a major US airline in Charlotte, which has been my dream career since I was a little girl. Throughout the years, and especially during college, I have come to realize that it is ok to take the road less traveled- your story is yours alone, and no one else can write it for you.
Lauren McClary - High School
Lauren McClary - College
Lauren McClary, UGA Fall ‘24 Graduate:
While I am exactly where I expected to be in life, I have changed so much since my high school graduation. I have grown in my confidence and how I value relationships in my life. While it was never a doubt that I wanted to be a Music Therapist, high school Lauren would have never had the courage to move halfway across the country to make her dreams come true. On top of that, falling even more in love with violin, putting on a recital, AND holding some form of leadership role in organizations she loves dearly. I remember the thought of moving to Georgia for college terrifying me, yet it was the best decision of my life. I have met amazing friends, had amazing opportunities, and grown so much as a person in the last 4 years. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected to challenge myself the way I have in the past year, but I hope my past self knows that everything has worked out and that I’m continuing to push myself more everyday.
Bella Peck - High School
Bella Peck - College
Bella Peck, UGA Spring ‘25 Graduate:
Looking back at the beginning of college, I was stepping into a world of new possibilities, unsure of what was ahead but excited for the journey. Growing up in the same house in Marietta, GA, everything about UGA felt big and full of potential. Over the years, through my sorority, SGA, and the unforgettable experience of two national championships, I’ve grown into a more confident, independent, and well-rounded person. I’ve learned to embrace change, chase opportunities, and appreciate the moments that make this time so special. Who I was then—a hopeful freshman—is still a part of me, but now I leave with a clearer sense of who I am and where I’m headed.
Elise Larson, UGA Spring ‘25 Graduate:
Young adulthood has been a strange in-between. When I reflect on these pictures, I can viscerally identify with exactly what my life felt like at the time, but at the same time, that person is, in many ways, completely unrecognizable. Throughout these past few years, I am still that same senior in high school as I pose for my college senior photos, but I realize that I have grown and expanded so much around who that person was.
New people, perspectives, heartbreaks, and friendships have added so much color and dimension to my life since my senior year. Overall, my world has opened up to be so much larger than this younger version of myself could understand. She's still there though, and I still identify with her all the time. I still love the same things, have the same friends, and even act in total accordance with how that girl would've to the situations in my life today. I feel very lucky that I can still hold on to this person I've been, while growing so much around this person who stands in the long line of nesting dolls that make the sum of who I am.
Taking senior photos for some of my dearest friends is truly a labor of love; however, the time I get to spend adjusting dress straps, tassels on caps, and straightening out graduation robes makes it all worth it. Pictures can hold thousands of words, and comparing old senior photos to new ones can truly be a bittersweet, reflective experience. The people we grow into after 4 to 5 years can be captured tangibly through photography–however, the people we become emotionally and mentally can be found through introspection. Even in my reflection, too, have I realized that I am an entirely different person than who I was during my high school senior photos; making memories and new friends, experiencing greater hardships, and simply just living more life allows us all to become transformed. How beautiful it is to compare these photos and see the crinkles form in the corner of our eyes, hair getting longer (or even changing color), and our smiles infinitely brighter. In a way, these collegiate senior photos are merely parting love letters– love letters that tangibly capture the beauty, personality, and ties that we have to our own respective schools. Such letters are bittersweet ways to pay homage to the institutions that have built us.