Many high school students have those few extracurricular activities that they love, whether it’s sports, clubs or academic teams. Students seemingly focus all their time and energy on these special activities, making it bittersweet to leave the activities behind when they graduate. This is true for almost all students, including the graduating Music in Motion (MIM) seniors.

As MIM prepared for their final competition on Sat. Feb. 24 at Grove City, its seniors reflected on their final season. Yena Kong, Samantha Weiskind, Jessica Uguccini, Jacob Schuman, Emily McCulley and Sahiti Tamirisakandala expressed their thoughts on the years they have spent together in MIM.

How would you describe the feeling you had when you got into MIM for the first time?

Samantha: I remember sitting in seventh period English, and as the 2:55 bell rang, I felt my heart drop. I opened the list, saw my name, started crying, and ran to find my friends. A bunch of us, we called ourselves ‘the freshman five,’ started on crew together, and got to be singer/dancers together. I was so excited and proud of myself, but also so grateful that I’d get to perform for three years alongside my closest friends.

Yena: I honestly couldn’t believe it. Show choir was never very prevalent in my life, unlike many of the other MIM members, and I didn’t even know that MIM crew existed. I interviewed with absolutely no expectations, but here I am two years later, as the Assistant Crew lead.

Emily: The feeling I had when I got into MIM was like no other feeling I have ever felt. I always knew that that was what I wanted to do in high school, so finally living out that dream was the best feeling in the world to me.

How would you compare your first year of MIM to this year?

Jessica: My first year in MIM was my sophomore year as a crew member. I loved crew and being part of such an amazing group, but I knew that I wanted to be on the stage. My senior year has been indescribable, I absolutely love fulfilling my dream onstage and performing with my best friends. I miss crew every day but I know that my hard work has paid off, and I am now where I belong.

Samantha: My first year of MIM I was on crew, which was so fun but so different than being a singer/dancer. The crew has lots of responsibilities, such as assisting costume and set changes, setting up the stage for load in, and packing up the box truck. Being a singer/dancer includes very dissimilar responsibilities, such as learning choreography, vocals, facials, costume changes, and performance skills. Personality-wise, I have grown from a shy freshman on crew to a confident leader. I’d say I am a completely different person than I was as a freshman, and I have MIM to thank for that.

What is your favorite show you have performed from previous years and why?

Jacob: “Move On,” this year’s show, is my favorite. The songs we’re doing are amazing, they are fantastic arrangements of works by famous musicians including Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga, Joan Jett and Elton John. The way the show looks as a whole is impressive, the set and costumes match the tone of the songs perfectly and completes the picture we are trying to paint in our show. The biggest reason I like this year’s show so much is the dancing. The energy and creativity with the dancing this year is spot-on. In particular, the best part of the show by far is the boys number because there is so much energy on stage.

Jessica: My favorite show would have to be this year’s show, “Move On,” for obvious reasons. While the other shows in MIM have been amazing, this is the one where I’ve gotten to be on the stage and that means the world to me.

Emily: My favorite show has to be “Revolution.” For some reason, I was always heavily impacted by that show—who knew the American Revolution would still be impactful after almost 250 years! It was also the first year with our new choreographers, so it was certainly a refreshing change.

What is your favorite memory from the years you have participated in this group?

Jessica: My favorite memory in MIM was as a crew member my junior year. The crew had some time to kill before our performance, and we all sat down and talked with Mr. Ferencie for over an hour. He told stories of past competitions and we all just laughed for awhile. We didn’t care who was going to win or lose, we just sat in one big circle talking about random stuff that was funny for no reason. It was such a simple experience, but I loved it so much because I was part of the circle, I was part of this group and I felt like I belonged.

Samantha: One of my many favorite memories was Medina in 2017 with “Revolution.” We swept that competition, which means we won Grand Champion, Best Vocals, Best Choreography and Best Band. However, winning really isn’t what I remember from that competition. The performances we put on that day were unreal, I’ll never forget the adrenaline rush as the curtain rose and the audience started screaming. We had, in my eyes, a close to perfect run. We had so much fun, which is really what this group is all about.

Jacob: My favorite memory from MIM is winning at Medina this past weekend. It was amazing having all of our time and effort be acknowledged by the judges with the Grand Champion trophy. The amount of energy everyone had that night was beyond what I thought was possible.

Sahiti: When MIM traveled to Chicago, the band was amazed when we won best band. At Chicago, we played against bands made of all college students and professionals and we still came out on top. When Solon was announced to have the “Best Instrumental Combo” title, the entire band sprung up and I immediately started crying. After the awards ceremony had concluded, the band gathered for one big group hug. That moment, that hug, is by far my favorite moment from MIM.

What have you gained from MIM?

Jessica: MIM has given me so many things, but one thing that MIM provides goes beyond singing and dancing, it creates relationships. I have made so many lifetime friends in this group, people that I never would’ve met otherwise. It is a chance to bring different people together who all share one common love for music. Whether the relationships last until the last day of school, the last day of college, or the last day, I know the memories will last forever.

Emily: I have gained self-confidence, leadership, friendship and so much more. MIM really is a family and I am so grateful to have gained a family of 80+ people. I am also so grateful for the leadership skills I have gained due to the opportunities I’ve been given.

Sahiti: Confidence, the ability to control my anxiety and a family.

What advice do you have for underclassmen?

Yena: Don’t blink. I know it’s so cliche because every senior says it, but time really does fly. I never thought I’d make it to senior year or actually be a senior, but here I am, only three months away from graduating. It’s scary how fast time goes by, so make sure you enjoy every moment you have in the group.

Samantha: To any underclassman in Solon, I would say to always follow your passions, regardless of what other people think. High school goes by way too quickly to conform to what your peers think you should be. And to MIM underclassmen, cherish the moments you have with this special group. It’s not often that you find a family that accepts everyone for who they are, and there is no other place like MIM where you get to perform alongside your best friends.

Sahiti: Its okay to be nervous, it’s okay to mess up. Just know that one day you will feel comfortable in your own thoughts and that these hard moments are just the obstacles you must face to get there.

On behalf of Solon High School, the Courier staff would like to wish MIM seniors the best of luck in their future endeavors.